


HTTYD: Dragon Girl

by AmberlyNightengale



Series: HTTYD: Zephyr's Story [2]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 19,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22667578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberlyNightengale/pseuds/AmberlyNightengale
Summary: How does a girl with no memory go on with her life? She arrived on Skaldi in the midst of a terrible storm, at the brink of death by the deadliest dragon known to Viking-kind, unable to remember anything about her past aside from one name-- Astrid. Can she find it in her to kill the dragons that stalk her village-- or will she accomplish something even greater?
Relationships: Zephyr Haddock/Original Male Character(s)
Series: HTTYD: Zephyr's Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541134
Comments: 12
Kudos: 17





	1. Skaldi

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to be bringing you the second installment of Zephyr's Story! This is kind of inspired by Anastasia in that the main character loses her memory, but this book's primary focus is how Zephyr/Astrid relives her father's story-- with a few helpful hints from her mysterious past. Hope you enjoy!

Somewhere just north of freezing and south of frostbite is a place called Skaldi. It’s been the home of a certain tribe for more than nine generations. In a word, sturdy, like the people who live here. It’s not so bad, I suppose, if you don’t mind the pests. Other places have bugs or birds.

We have dragons.

Most people might leave. Not us. We’re Vikings. Giving up isn’t in our nature.

My name’s Astrid. Well, kind of. I have a funny story. See, I arrived in Skaldi when I was ten years old, with no memories at all except for one name-- Astrid. Even though I knew that name didn’t belong to me, I took it.

I’m never among the Vikings who go out and kill dragons. I’m small, clumsy when wielding weapons despite making them expertly. I, of all people, should want to kill dragons more than anyone. I was found in the woods five years ago, at the mercy of a dragon that had presumably killed my parents and was planning to do the same to me. Why shouldn’t I feel the need to get revenge?

 _Tonight’s my chance,_ I think as I run through the burning village during one of the nightly raids. _Tonight, I’ll finally kill a dragon and prove I belong._

But before I can get to the workshop, to my secret weapon, I’m caught by the last person on Midgard I want to see-- Keegan.

Keegan’s father is Chief Enger, the fiercest dragon killer alive. Keegan really seems to take after him, or wants to, at least. All I’ve ever wanted was for Keegan to accept me, because then everyone else would, too. But he’s hated me ever since I showed up here, providing no explanation as to why. Naturally, that makes him hard for me to stand.

“What are you doing out here?” he demands, a bucket of water swinging from each of his hands. “Shouldn’t you be at the forges, repairing weapons?”

“That’s where I was just headed,” I say. “What, did you think I was just hanging out in the middle of all the burning chaos? Having an enjoyable time watching all of you work your tails off?”

Keegan scowls. “Well, get there quick,” he snaps, shoving past me. “Unferth needs _someone_ to stoke the fire.”

I glare after the back of his blond head. I don’t care if he _is_ the son of the chief and the most promising as a dragon killer this generation, not to mention the most popular kid, does he have to be such a jerk?

It takes me just a little while longer to get to the forges. As always, Unferth is waiting.

“Nice of you to join the party!” he teases as I hurry into the workshop. “I thought you’d already been carried off!”

“Who, me?” I say innocently. “No, I’m _way_ too muscle-y for their tastes. They wouldn’t know what to do with all… this.” I flex my arms, showing off muscles that really aren’t there.

“Well, they need toothpicks, don’t they?” Unferth pokes back. I’ve been his ward ever since I got here, and we have this running joke about my size.

I’m not really _that_ tiny, but compared to the rest of the kids around here, I’m a real runt. At fifteen, I’m five-foot-two, and I’ve developed some curves, though not the extremely womanly kind you see on the other Viking women. I’m skinny, with pretty scrawny limbs, considering what I do for work here.

I _am_ strong, though. Enough to lift a mace, if not wield it.

And lifting is all I need to do, as Unferth so graciously demonstrates, tossing a squashed hammer into my arms. “Mend. Quickly.”

I huff as I carry the hammer toward the bellows. One of these days, I’ll get out there. Because killing a dragon is how you earn your place here in Skaldi.

I first have to choose a victim. A Spiny Scorpion, with their tails that can shoot deadly spikes at their prey from long distances, would show that I at least have potential. Norkons, big, knobbly beasts like boulders, are tough. Killing one of those would definitely remove the title of “Useless” from my name. Hydras have two heads and twice as much power. And then there’s the Flaming Drakon. Only the most experienced Vikings go after them, because they for some reason enjoy setting themselves on fire.

But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one’s ever caught. We call it the--

“White Creeper!” someone yells just as a purple blast makes one of the enormous torches tremble with its power.

I dart to the window. Sure enough, there’s that elusive white shadow, streaking across the night sky.

I have a special reason to hunt the White Creeper. It’s the very same dragon that carried me into the woods and tried to devour me. The earliest memory I have is of it standing above me, staring into my eyes with a petrifying glare.

No one has ever killed a White Creeper. That’s why I’m going to be the first.

Something catches me by the back of my tunic, and I yelp as Unferth drags me away from the window.

“Aw, come on, Unferth,” I whine. “Five minutes, please! I’ll kill a dragon, my life will get infinitely better--”

“Sure, sure,” Unferth says. “And just how do you plan to do that? You can’t swing a sword, you can’t hold a mace, you can’t even throw a net!”

“I know, I know,” I say. “But _this_ will!” I step aside to show him my cannon, which fires randomly and shoots a rock at someone’s head.

Unferth’s expression hardens. “Listen, Astrid,” he says. “I don’t know where you get these crazy designs of yours, but this needs to stop, now.”

“I can fix this in two minutes!” I protest.

“No!” Unferth shouts. “My job is to keep you safe! If you want to kill dragons, you have to stop all… _this_.” He waves his hands vaguely at me.

“You just gestured to all of me!” I say.

“Exactly!” Unferth says, poking me in the chest. “Stop being all of you!”

“But--” I start, but Unferth stops me.

“They need me out there,” he says, peering out at the flaming chaos. “Stay put.” With one last glare at me, he runs screaming into the fight.

One minute later, I’m running like mad across the battlefield, my wheeled cannon in tow. Seriously, does Unferth _really_ think I’ll listen when he says _stay put_?

When I find a good, quiet clearing, away from the fire and shouting, I set up my weapon. Pressing my eye to the scope, I sit and wait.

There! The white shadow! I aim quickly and fire a net into the black void above.

An inhuman scream answers my anxious, unspoken question. A pale shape falls against the stars.

I can hardly believe what’s just happened. I hit it. I’ve avenged my parents and my memory by bringing the White Creeper down. I’ll be a hero in Skaldi for sure!

Or that’s what I think, until I notice the Flaming Drakon standing behind me.


	2. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid has hit the White Creeper... but will anyone believe her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support I've gotten on this series! I hope you guys enjoy!

“What were you _thinking_?” Unferth roars. “I leave you alone for _one second_ and what do you do? You could have been killed!”

It’s been about fifteen minutes since I hit the White Creeper. It’s also been that long since I spotted that Flaming Drakon.

I ran for about fifteen minutes straight, which is about the longest I’ve ever sprinted in one go. I think I can cross the rest of this week’s exercising off the list.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of running so fast I thought my legs were going to fall off, Enger heard me screaming. He attacked the Drakon and scared it off, but not before it brought down one of the enormous torches, sending it crashing down and rolling through the village, which I had been foolish enough to lead the wild dragon straight into.

And now it seems I am going to have to pay for my mistake.

“Do you know how many Vikings couldn’t help with the battle because their weapons were damaged?” Enger shouts, his face redder than the Drakon’s scales with rage.

Meanwhile, Keegan, surrounded by his band of oversized goons, smirks triumphantly at me.

That smug little smile sets me off. “I hit the White Creeper,” I say, cutting Unferth off as he opens his mouth to scold me even more. Both he and Enger gawk at me like I’ve got eels slithering out of my ears. “What?” Enger says, his eyes narrowing.

“I hit the White Creeper,” I say again. When no one responds, I go on, “I’m serious! It fell just off Wolf’s Overlook, if we send out a search party--”

“I don’t care what story you’ve made up to try and save your skin,” Enger cuts me off. “Winter is coming, and I have an entire village to feed!”

I glance at Keegan’s enormous friends. “Between you and me, a few of those villagers could do with a little _less_ feeding, you know?”

“This isn’t a joke, Astrid!” Enger booms. “I don’t want to believe I made a mistake by taking you in five years ago, but between that White Creeper stalking us ever since you came here and now this--”

His words sting harder than I’m sure he means them to. I’ve never felt I belonged here. And it’s true, ever since I came to Skaldi, the White Creeper has been following me, presumably to finish what it started that night when I was ten. But to say that rescuing me might have been more of a mistake than leaving me to that monster’s mercy?

“I’m sorry,” I say in a small voice. “I just… wanted to make my mark, you know?”

Enger sighs. He can never stay mad at anyone for too long. “I understand, Astrid,” he says. “I know you want to mark your place. But I think you’re looking to mark the _wrong_ place.”

His stinging words sink in as he turns to Unferth. “Take her home,” he says. “She’s done enough.”

I silently follow Unferth’s lead, though I can’t do anything to block out the taunts of “ _Outstanding_ performance” and “I’ve never seen _anyone_ fail that bad” from Keegan’s gang. Keegan himself says nothing, but his smug expression holds too many words.

When we arrive at the hut, Unferth finally speaks. “I know it’s hard, Astrid--” he begins.

“No,” I say, my voice stone-cold and just as hard. “You don’t know. How could _any_ of you know what it’s like not knowing who you are or where you came from, only knowing that everyone hates you and you’ll never have any place among them? How could you know how lost and confused I feel every day, because the first ten years of my life are a complete blank? I don’t know anything about myself, Unferth. I don’t even know my real name! How could you understand that?”

Unferth is silent, seemingly at a loss for words. Good. I don’t need him to say anything else to send me over the edge.

I slam the door behind me, and Unferth leaves. He doesn’t see me sneak out the back door and into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems a little too word-for-word with the movie. That's kind of how I intended it to be, but I promise there will be more fun differences!


	3. The White Creeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid goes in search of her prize, but what she finds is not what she expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, guys! Hope you're enjoying this story!

I cross off yet another location on my map, scribbling out several previous Xs for good measure before slamming my sketchbook shut.

“Typical,” I grumble to myself. “The one time I do something right, and I can’t find actual _proof_.”

I swat a branch away from my face in frustration, but it swings right back at me, smacking me square in the nose. I yelp and jump back, dropping my pencil. As I bend over to pick it up, I notice a large, deep divot in the dirt, one that continues for a dozen or so yards. All around the ditch lie broken branches and splinters, almost as if something very large and heavy was forcefully sent through the trees into the ground and pushed a ways more.

My pulse quickens. No way.

Suddenly stealthy as Vikingly possible, I crawl up behind a fallen tree at the end of the ditch. Then, after pausing to compose myself, I hesitantly peek at whatever lies beyond.

The sight of the humongous white creature startles me into crying out and dropping back behind the log. Then, once I’m sure my heart rate is (somewhat) under control, I look again, knowing a little of what to expect.

The beast is beautiful, smooth and white and motionless. As I look closer, I realize that it is not completely white, unlike what the Vikings from my rescue party told me. Its tail fins are black, as are the tips of its ears and the spines along its back. Its wings sparkle in the few rays of sunlight that sneak through the trees and bounce off. In this state, it appears harmless, wings, legs, and tail all tangled up in rope from my net. Its eyes are closed; it looks like it could be sleeping.

Awestruck, I move toward the dragon in a sort of trance. “I did it,” I breathe, reaching out to touch its snowy scales.

The Creeper grunts, and I scamper back with a yelp. It’s not dead.

I quickly reach into my pocket and withdraw my little knife. I usually only use it to sharpen my pencil, but it should make an acceptable weapon, right?

I carefully look back at the beast and jump. Its eyes are open.

I stare into the dragon’s jade-green eyes, hypnotized. Its gaze is deep, entrancing, with eyes full of pain. Almost human…

I shake my head and raise my dagger, positioning it over the Creeper’s huge chest. “I’m gonna kill you, dragon,” I mutter, more to myself than to it. “I’m gonna cut off your wings and take them to Enger as a trophy. I am a _Viking_.”

I exhale slowly, then raise my knife above my head, squeezing my eyes shut. But I can’t stop myself from looking at the dragon one more time.

Its gaze hasn’t faltered. It still stares at me, its eyes full of fear and desperation. With its eyes, it pleads without words.

I try to ignore it. I really do. But there’s that little voice in my mind, telling me this isn’t right. I see the humanity in the dragon’s eyes and I can’t do it. I can’t do it.

My arms slowly bring the knife down, the flat end of the blade against my chest. I barely notice, tears welling in my eyes. I should be more than ready to do this. I should be thanking Thor for allowing me to be the one with the opportunity to kill the dragon that’s been plaguing Skaldi for five years, that’s been chasing me since I was ten, that I have to thank for the loss of my past.

But I can’t do it.

Before I even know what I’m doing, my knife drops. But it’s not plunging itself into the dragon’s chest.

The ropes snap under my dagger’s blade. I work quickly, afraid of what will happen if I’m caught.

The ropes fall to the earth. The dragon’s legs twitch, as though testing their freedom. Then, quick as a flash, the dragon is on its feet, pinning me to the log at my back with its closeness.

I gasp for breath, unable to scream. I’ve made a mistake in letting the Creeper go, and now I’m going to die, the way I was supposed to five years ago.

But the Creeper doesn’t really seem to _want_ to kill me. Instead, it simply gazes into my eyes, green on blue, with an almost desperate look in its eyes.

“Astrid!” comes Unferth’s faint voice from far behind me. He must be back at the hut.

My fear for my own life vanishes. “Go,” I whisper to the white dragon. “Don’t let them find you. Please.”

The dragon doesn’t seem to want to leave, but it does, giving me one final, mournful look over its shoulder before taking off.

I stand frozen against the fallen tree. That dragon has something to do with my past, I _know_ it does. My _real_ past, the one I lost.

“Astrid!” Unferth calls again, and I run from my only clue of who I am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: In the original draft, Brightwing was pure Light Fury. Like, all white, no black, that's it. But I had to change it after I saw the Night Lights in Homecoming (if you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend it, because ACK the babies are so cute!), and to be honest, I think it kind of works better.


	4. Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid returns home, hoping to utilize what she's learned about herself. But Unferth has other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this work is moving by a lot faster than most of my other stuff! Sorry about the short chapters; I promise it will be made up for soon.

I hurriedly close the back door, slowing down just enough to make sure it doesn’t slam shut and alert Unferth to my whereabouts.

“Astrid!” Unferth calls a third time, sounding aggravated.

“I’m here!” I call back, praying to all the gods I know of that Unferth won’t put two and two together and realize I’ve been out in the woods as I hurry to my room.

Just in time, too. Unferth appears in the doorway right as I sit down. He looks really uncomfortable, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground. “I need to talk to you,” he says in a somewhat begrudging tone.

“Oh,” I say, a little surprised. “Um, that’s good, actually, because I kinda have to tell you something…” He has to know that I don’t have what it takes to kill dragons, even if I don’t tell him how I know.

“Oh,” says Unferth. “Er, you go first, then.”

“No, no, you can go,” I say. Thor, this is awkward.

Unferth takes a deep breath. “All right, then.” He pulls out one of my chairs and sits down, looking ridiculous as he squats there, his humongous bulk taking up half of the tiny room. “You get your wish. You start training tomorrow. For dragon combat.”

“Oh, boy,” I say, cursing myself inwardly for not going first. “About that. I’ve been thinking about it, and you know, I think Enger’s right. I’ve been trying to make marks in all the wrong places, and, you know, maybe I should just stick with blacksmithing and--”

“Enger’s the one who suggested it,” says Unferth. He doesn’t notice me deflate at this revelation, as he’s too busy twisting around to pick up a huge battle-ax. “You’ll need this,” he says, dropping the ax into my arms. Its weight forces the air from my lungs out with a _whoosh_.

“I-I don’t want to fight dragons,” I say desperately.

“Of course you do,” says Unferth, waving me off.

“Okay, rephrase,” I say. “I _can’t_ kill dragons.”

“You’ll learn,” Unferth says carelessly.

“No, I’m pretty darn sure I won’t,” I say, readjusting the ax in my arms to spread out the weight. “It’s something… weird, I can’t explain it, but killing dragons just doesn’t seem like something I _can_ do.”

“Stop right there,” Unferth orders, a hard glower on his face. “You _will_ kill dragons. You may not have been born a Skaldian, but you are one now. You will follow in the footsteps of the Vikings who settled here on this island nine generations ago.”

“Am I invisible or something?” I demand. “I mean, are you hearing _any_ of the words coming out of my mouth?”

“You will come to dragon training,” Unferth says, ignoring me. I take that to mean I _am_ invisible. “I will teach you. And you will _try_ to make yourself a proper Viking. Deal?”

“This is sounding more like a lecture than a discussion,” I protest.

“ _Deal?_ ”

Unferth’s face demonstrates very clearly that he’s not going to take no for an answer. I sigh and nod, relenting. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Easter Egg I threw in here: Unferth's name comes from the book Beowulf. I studied classical literature in high school, and while looking for Viking-ish names to give to the Skaldians, I came across Unferth in my old notes. I thought it might be a cool name for a Skaldian, so I decided to give it to Astrid's guardian and the Gobber of Skaldi. If you noticed that, good for you! If not, don't worry, there will be a lot of hidden Easter Eggs in this book and those to come. (There are Easter Eggs hidden in all of my books, so keep an eye out for them!)


	5. Welcome to Dragon Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid begins dragon combat classes-- and learns an important lesson that will come to haunt her in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies! I am so glad that even in the middle of all the chaos going on with the Corona virus, I can still share what I have been working on with all of you. Enjoy!

The next day, I walk into dragon combat class, dismayed to see who my fellow pupils are going to be.

“Oh, great,” says Starkwulf Hadderson, a rusty-haired boy of large stature with a mean face. “Who decided to let _her_ in?”

“Can we join the class with the _good_ kids?” drawls Dorfang Mokkinson. Her older brother, Fordang, nods in agreement.

“It doesn’t matter,” says Mollusk Glower, a geeky boy who is nevertheless large and intimidating, at least at first glance. “She won’t be able to outperform us anyway, so what’s the point?”

Keegan says nothing. He’s too busy eyeing the dragon cages with a determined sort of look in his eye.

“Hey, don’t let me stand in your way,” I say to the others, trying to make light of their jeers. “If I’m too out of your league, I can go…”

No one laughs.

“Joking,” I mutter as Unferth enters the arena.

“Welcome to dragon training!” he announces. “Line up there, in front of the cages.”

As everyone shuffles toward the gates, I overhear the others still talking about me, debating why I’m even here. Starkwulf jeers that I shouldn’t be here because I’ve already killed the White Creeper, and the Mokkinsons snicker as Starkwulf smirks cruelly at me. My shoulders slump as I fall behind them, and Unferth catches up with me.

“Don’t worry,” he says, mistaking my guilt for fear of the dragons. “You’re scrawny, so you won’t be nearly as much of a target. They’ll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead.”

Strangely, his words don’t make me feel much better at all.

“Up until now,” Unferth begins, pacing in front of the doors to the dragon cages as I take my place at the end of the line, near Mollusk, “you have only _watched_ dragons be killed. Today, you learn to kill them yourselves. To do this, you will be facing a wide assortment of dragons.” He points at the first door, the one right in front of me. “The Hydra--”

“Sight: six. Toxicity: twelve,” Mollusk recites automatically.

Unferth paces to the next cage. “The Spiny Scorpion--”

“Speed: eight. Sharpness: eleven,” Mollusk says a little louder.

“The Fanged Fright,” Unferth goes on, the trace of a glower appearing on his face.

“Sneak: seven. Bite force: nine,” Mollusk recites even louder.

“The Flaming Drakon,” continues Unferth, his eyebrows creasing together with irritation.

“Heat: nine. Danger: sixteen!” Mollusk practically shouts.

“Would you _cut it out?_ ” Unferth bellows at him, then places his hand on the lever for the cage the farthest to the right. “And the Norkon.” His hand tightens on the lever, and it’s clear to all of us what he’s about to do next.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Starkwulf says quickly, skittering back nervously with his hands up. “What happened to teaching?”

“I’m a kinetic learner,” says Unferth matter-of-factly. He pulls the lever, and the cage barrier rumbles out of place.

A humongous Norkon bursts out of the pen. After shaking its head dazedly, it fixes its gaze on the group of small, heavily underprepared Viking teens that includes me and takes pursuit. I follow my instincts and run for my life.

“Quick!” Unferth shouts to the scattering students. “What is the first thing you need when fighting a dragon?”

“A doctor?” I guess wildly, shouting out the first thing that comes to mind when I think of what _I_ need at this moment.

“No, a shield,” Keegan corrects calmly. Showoff.

"Shield is correct!" shouts Unferth. “Your shield is your most important piece of equipment. If ever you have to choose between a sword and a shield, take the shield.”

Too frightened to stand up, I roll towards the large pile of shields at the other end of the ring and seize the first one I touch. As I fumble with the strap, Unferth bellows, “Consider this a real battle. If you get hit, you’re dead!”

Just as he finishes saying this, the Norkon blasts a fireball at Dorfang, who is too busy fighting her brother over a shield painted with a flaming skull to notice. The blast hits the shield, sending both of them sprawling to the ground.

“Dorfang! Fordang! You’re out!” calls Unferth as the Mokkinsons scramble for cover. Bored with its current prey, the Norkon turns… toward me.

For a moment, I’m too frightened to move. Then a sudden burst of inspiration hits me. I scoop up a small axe, which I can actually lift single-handed, and start slamming it against the front of my shield, creating a loud _rap_ that echoes throughout the arena.

“Very good, Astrid!” Unferth calls through the chains from above us. (Wait, when did he get out _there_?) “Make noise! Distract it!”

The remaining boys circle around the Norkon and begin to copy me, slamming their weapons against their shields, though I’m quite sure that, across the dragon’s knobbly, bulky body, I catch a glimpse of Keegan as he shoots a murderous glare at me.

The noise seems to be effective. The Norkon shivers, and its eyes drift out of focus. But that won’t keep it there for long.

“Each dragon has a limited number of shots,” Unferth continues, watching us attempt to look like we know what we’re doing. “How many does a Norkon have?”

“Five?” guesses Starkwulf wildly.

“No, six!” cries Mollusk triumphantly. Of course _he_ would know.

“That’s right,” says Unferth, a smug smile on his face. “That’s one for each of you.”

In his eagerness, Mollusk stands still a moment too long. Seeming desperate to show at least something for being there, the Norkon regains itself enough to shoot a fireball in his direction. It’s too disoriented to aim properly, but still manages to blast a good chunk off of Mollusk’s shield. Mollusk promptly runs away, shrieking at the top of his lungs.

“Mollusk, out,” Unferth says, sounding almost bored as he observes our worsening performance.

The blast startles me into dropping my shield. Panicking, I run after it, not seeing the Norkon following me.

“Astrid!” Keegan shouts.

The noise draws the Norkon’s attention away from me just long enough for me to catch my shield and dive out of the way. Unfortunately, it also makes Keegan the dragon’s new target.

“So, I work out in my parents’ backyard sometimes,” Starkwulf says to Keegan, completely oblivious to the bloodthirsty dragon buzzing his way. “You should come by sometime, we could be like workout buddies--”

The Norkon hits his shield, and I allow myself a small smirk. Starkwulf’s always trying to make people think he and Keegan are best buds to boost his own popularity. Serves him right for trying to do that _now_ , of all times.

Meanwhile, Keegan leaps away from the explosion-- toward me. The Norkon tries to hit him too, but misses as Keegan lands beside me.

“So, I guess it’s just you and me?” I say, trying to sound nonchalant and attempting at a friendly smile.

“Nope, just you,” Keegan says carelessly. He dodges as the Norkon shoots another fireball. This one hits me right in the center of my shield with enough force to send me flying into the wall. I feel my breath leave my lungs in a sharp and painful _whoosh_ as my body hits solid rock.

“Astrid!” Unferth cries, sounding for the first time today truly scared as the Norkon drifts toward me. Dazed, I try to raise my shield to protect myself, but all I find is a mess of splinters strapped to my arm. The world goes blurry, but the Norkon is right in my face, more than close enough for me to see it open its mouth, fire welling in its throat--

Then, at the last second, the Norkon’s head jerks up, its fireball hitting a spot on the wall so close to my head I can feel the harsh heat of the fire. Unferth has hooked the dragon’s bottom lip with the axe he gave me and directed the attack away from me.

“That’s six,” he grunts. Keeping the dragon hooked on the axe, he swings it towards its cage. “Get back in there, yeh lumpy beast!” He throws the Norkon back inside its cage and bars the door before urning back to us.

“Lesson time,” he growls, bending down to look me straight in the eye as I sit paralyzed against the wall. “A dragon will always-- _always_ \-- go for the kill.”

I can sense everyone’s disapproving glares as Unferth stalks out, but do not acknowledge them. Through the numb haze in my brain, his words have a peculiar tinge of wrongness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably be posting a LOT more frequently now, since I don't really have anything else to do with my life at the moment (other than bingeing on Doritos and old animated shows... I need to get a life). I'm hoping that since a lot of you probably don't have a lot to be doing either, I can brighten your days with my work. Happy April Fools Day, and may we all remember that the Corona virus is just about the biggest prank of all. Have fun and stay safe!


	6. The Mystery Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid's connection to the White Creeper grows ever more insistent as the things she learns only raise more questions about her past.

I stand in the woods, frowning at what remains of the net that caught the greatest prize in Viking history, fighting to untangle the chaotic knot of thoughts in my head.

Unferth’s words repeat themselves over and over in my head: _"_ _A dragon will always go for the kill.”_

“So why didn’t you?” I murmur out loud. The Creeper most certainly did _not_ want to go for the kill when I encountered it, or I wouldn’t even be here to wonder about it. Why in Valhalla did it let me go?

More than that, why can’t _I_ just let it go?

I wonder if I can track it.

I wander away in the general direction of where it took off. Something tells me the dragon’s close.

And then I push a branch out of the way to find that the ground suddenly cuts off in a steep drop. At the bottom of the ravine is a small clearing, with a pond and trees and small rock formations. And there, off to the side, looking honestly forlorn, sits the White Creeper.

I watch in silence as the dragon moans and jumps up, as though to take flight, but then touches down and lies down, completely still.

For a moment, I simply sit and stare, as motionless as the dragon, completely mesmerized by its beauty. Then I realize I’m passing up the opportunity of a lifetime. My fumbling fingers hurriedly retrieve my sketchbook from my pocket and trace the rough, shaky outline of the creature. As I glance up again, I notice the Creeper cast a wistful glance at the top of the miniature canyon, toward the sky. “Why don’t you just fly away?” I whisper, staring at the beast in perplexed awe.

Then I notice the six-inch-long incision in the left half of the dragon’s tail, which leaves the lower part of its stretched skin dragging uselessly on the ground, and a weight of guilt settles in my stomach. Oh.

The Creeper moans again and paws the ground. But as I look closer, I realize the movement of its claws isn’t totally random. To my astonishment, the dragon moves its talons to scratch a very clear _Z_ into the dirt.

My head suddenly appears to be splitting open, from the pain that explodes into existence without warning, and I only just choke back a scream. I can’t alert the White Creeper to my presence, not yet.

But I will be coming back.

* * *

The dragon combat class eats together that evening to review their performance. Well, _mostly_ together. As is usual, I sit alone, silently observing from the table next to them.

Unferth plops himself down right across from me, but not to provide me with company. The rest of the class can see him perfectly from there.

“Study up,” he says, tossing a large brown book onto the other table, where it lands with a heavy _thunk_. “The Dragon Log,” he goes on, naming the titleless book. “Everything we know about every dragon we know about. Knowing this information will be the thing to keep you alive when you start killing the beasts.”

“Wait,” says Fordang as Unferth walks away, as if he’s only just beginning to process what the book is for. “You want us to _read_?”

“On _purpose_?” Dorfang adds, sounding disgusted at the thought.

“How is _this_ gonna help us kill dragons?” demands Starkwulf. “ _Killing dragons_ will help us kill dragons.”

“Oh, I’ve read it so many times!” Mollusk pipes up eagerly. “There’s this one dragon that spits super dangerous venom, and there’s this one that cuts--”

“Wow, _lame_ ,” Fordang interrupts.

Starkwulf gets to his feet. “You guys read, I’ll go kill. Have fun.” He strides out of the mess hall, closely followed by Dorfang, Fordang, and Mollusk.

I tentatively approach Keegan, the last person sitting at the table. “So I guess we’ll share--?

“I’ve read it,” Keegan cuts me off, following his friends out without so much as a glance at me.

“O-okay,” I say, a little disconcerted. “So I guess I’ll see you guys--”

The door slams shut.

* * *

I open the book later that night, alone in my bedroom.

“Fear Class, Strike Class, Mystery Class,” I read from the table of contents before flipping the book open to a random page.

“Screaming Whale,” I read. “‘This elusive dragon lives in the sea. When startled, it produces a deafening noise that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.’”

I turn the page. “‘Chamelion. Even newly-hatched dragons can spit corrosive acid. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.’”

A sudden crack of thunder booms from outside. I jump, but soon turn back to the book.

“‘Razorflight. This dragon’s wings are sharp enough to cut down fully-grown trees. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight.”

My stomach flips over as I continue skimming through the book. Mantrap. Burnspew. Malicious Vipertooth. Chokes its victims, buries its victims, swallows its victims whole. Extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous. Kill on sight, kill on sight, kill on sight.

I feel sick as I read these words. This just doesn’t seem right. Kill on sight, without even considering that there might be another way? I know this is the Viking custom, but still…

And then I turn the page to find an entry that is almost completely blank. The runes at the top read _White Creeper_.

I stare at the fact bites in a strange combination of fear and awe. _Speed: unknown. Size: unknown._ I read the description aloud to myself. “‘The terrible offspring of chaos and doom itself. Do not engage this dragon. Your only hope: hide and pray it does not find you.’”

The words send a shudder down my spine. The White Creeper, born of horror itself, apparently unbeatable. To face it at all means inescapable death.

I am an anomaly of enormous proportions. I am the only known person to have survived a close-up encounter with the White Creeper. The villagers talked of nothing but me when I first arrived in Skaldi, how I should have died by the White Creeper, how everyone who came and retrieved me should have died, too. I was a miracle, until the Creeper began chasing me. Whispers began to take on a more malicious tone. Rumors circulated that I was a curse from Odin, sent to bring the wrath of the White Creeper crashing down on Skaldi.

But then my encounter yesterday changed everything, in my mind. The White Creeper _hadn’t_ tried to devour me, as everyone in the village believes it’s chasing after me to do. I guess it could have been reluctant to kill me when its prey came to it so easily, but somehow, I don’t think that’s it.

This book should have made me more determined to kill dragons, so I can rid Skaldi of the menace that drives everyone away from me. Instead, I am more eager than ever to discover the truth about the dragon in my past.

I take out my notebook, tear out the page with the sketch of the White Creeper, and toss it on the Dragon Log’s empty pages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all of you are taking my advice and staying safe. I would really hate it if you guys got too sick to read my stuff. ;) But seriously, please stay safe, and enjoy what I have out there for all of you!


	7. Dragon Training Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid can never seem to go a day without messing something up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, m'dears! Here's another part of Dragon Girl for y'all to enjoy!

“So, I noticed that the Dragon Log had nothing on White Creepers. Is there, like, another book, or a pamphlet, or--?”

A spike impales itself in my shield, and I let out a yelp.

"Focus, Astrid!" Unferth calls from outside the arena. "We can talk later!"

The arena has been turned into a maze, with no exit. The only way we can win this challenge is to avoid the Spiny Scorpion above.

"Today is focused on attack!" says Unferth. "Scorpions are quick and light on their feet. You have to be quicker and lighter!"

I quickly rush in the opposite direction from the Scorpion. Luckily for me, Dorfang and Fordang have managed to get themselves into its sights, and it seems to have forgotten about me.

“Stay in its blind spot!” Unferth yells at them.

The Scorpion squawks. I turn a corner and almost crash straight into Starkwulf and Keegan.

“What are you _doing_?” Keegan hisses through clenched teeth. “Get down!”

The Scorpion has positioned itself just around the corner from where we stand. It isn’t looking our way, but any noise will alert it to our presence.

Keegan glances down the passageway where the Scorpion stands, then dives into a stealthy roll across the gap, hardly making a sound. Starkwulf follows his lead, not quite as silent, but still very quiet. I attempt to imitate their maneuver, but I put too much weight on my shield and fall on my back with a loud clatter.

The noise reaches the ears of the Scorpion. It squawks and barrels straight at me, sending the walls that have created the maze crashing to the floor. I dart around corner after corner, trying to shake it off, but to no avail.

“Astrid!” Keegan shouts. He throws his axe in the Scorpion’s direction, but it misses the dragon and comes flying at me. It buries itself in my shield with force enough to throw me to the ground.

Keegan vaults over a fallen barrier and stands over me, trying to tear his axe free. The Scorpion shoots a volley of spines at him, and he flattens his body against mine.

“Help me get this out!” he barks at me.

“If you’d just _get off_ \--” I start, then gasp as I see the Scorpion raise its tail. “My right, your left!”

“What?”

I don’t try to explain. I strain and roll to my right, taking Keegan with me. He yelps as he passes under me, but at the same time the spikes pass over my head. A little close for comfort, but at least there’s no damage. For now.

I stop after a single rotation, on my back again, and Keegan immediately starts pulling at his axe again.

“If you’d just let me get it off--” I try again.

Keegan gasps sharply as the Scorpion comes charging at us, fed up with attacking from a distance. He braces his knee against my shield and gives the axe one hard yank. I shout as the weapon rips away, taking a large chunk of my shield with it. Without bothering to clear away the splinters that remain on the blade, Keegan turns and strikes the Scorpion in the snout. The dragon yelps and runs off.

Breathing heavily, Keegan watches Unferth lock the Scorpion back in its cage, then turns back to me, his green eyes full of raging fire.

“Is this some kind of _game_ to you?” he demands. “Our parents’ war is about to become ours. Figure out whose side you’re on.”

I stare at his back as he stalks out of the arena. “ _Your_ parents,” I mutter under my breath, that heavy weight of grief and loss settling in my stomach again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, Astrid's missing her lost memory again. Guess where she's gonna go to fix that...  
> Keep an eye out for the little signs I put in here for memory recovery. There's a few, and it's fun to look for them.  
> On a different note, I hope y'all are enjoying yourselves with this so far. It's not the most popular of my works, but I'm hoping that those of you who do read it find it well worth your time. Have fun and stay safe!


	8. Bright Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid goes to see the White Creeper again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, dragon fans! Sorry it's taken me a little while on this, but here we are now! Enjoy!  
> P.S. If you would like to listen to a little mood music while reading this chapter, just click on the link below.

[ _Mood Music: Forbidden Friendship_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96NgGuKQcmo)

I cautiously peek into the clearing, hiding behind a shield I “borrowed” from the arena. No sign of it.

I scoot forward a little, not wanting to come out into the open too quickly, but the shield gets caught in a narrow space between two rocks and won’t budge. I slip under it and try to push it from the other side, but it’s stuck fast. I sigh, defeated, and pick up the fish I brought, still stuck on carrying out my original plan. Minus protection, but hopefully I won’t die anyway.

“Hello?” I call hesitantly. “Are you in here, Creeper-thingy?”

A soft _whoosh_ comes from behind me. I turn to see the White Creeper standing there, staring at me carefully, but not with the kind of caution that says it’s afraid of me. More like it’s worried _I’m_ scared of _it_.

“Hey,” I say gently, fighting to keep the tremor out of my voice. “Remember me? Nice death-dragon…”

The White Creeper sniffs, then slowly leans toward the fish in my hand.

“You want this?” I ask. “Here you go.” I toss the fish at it quickly, hoping it won’t change its mind and decide it likes people better.

The White Creeper catches the fish in the air and just about swallows it whole. Then she (I _think_ it’s a she) crawls toward me, sniffing expectantly.

“Um…” I step back as the dragon slowly creeps toward me. “No, no, no. Sorry. I--” I feel the rocks at my back and press myself up against them, but the Creeper keeps coming closer and closer. Finally, her snout is just inches from my face. “I don’t have any more,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from trying to choke back a shriek of terror.

The White Creeper looks me over. Then her eyes roll back into her head, and she begins to retch. Half of the fish she just swallowed, coated in dragon spit, falls into my lap.

“Oh…” My nose wrinkles at the sight, and I look up at the White Creeper, who’s staring at me like she’s waiting for something.

Oh, boy. I pick up the fish and hold it up to my face. The smell is awful, but I have to get on this thing’s good side.

The White Creeper’s tongue flicks out of her mouth, like she’s licking her lips. (Do dragons _have_ lips?) With a shudder, I take a bite out of the raw fish. Trying my hardest to keep from spitting the thing out, I hold the rest of the fish out to her and smile as best I can with my mouth full of slimy fish. She swallows.

Odin’s eye, was that not good enough?! I close my eyes and force the disgusting stuff down my throat, shivering with disgust. I attempt to smile at the dragon, whose mouth twitches. I wonder what she’s trying to do as she stretches her lips out, showing more and more teeth, until I realize that she has a sort of dragonish smile on her face.

“Wow,” I whisper. “You’re… really something, aren’t you?”

The White Creeper cocks her head, then snorts and retreats a short way before spreading her wings. The sunlight reflecting off of them makes me shield my eyes.

“Woah,” I say, squinting against the hard light. “You have really bright wings.”

The Creeper’s wings drop as I say this, and she runs up to me excitedly.

“Bright wings,” I realize. “Is that what I should call you? Brightwing?”

The Creeper jumps around eagerly at the sound of her new name, and I smile at her playfulness. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Then, suddenly, an inexplicable desire to do something that no one in the village would ever dream of hits me. Driven by the sudden impulse, I reach out for Brightwing’s snout. She jerks back, looking startled, and I quickly pull my hand away. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so fast.

For some reason, I find myself not wanting to look Brightwing in the eye. I pick up a stick at my feet and begin drawing absentmindedly.

Brightwing watches over my shoulder as the basic outline of her face appears in the dirt and starts wiggling excitedly. She runs across the clearing, and I hear a large _crash_. Brightwing returns a minute later with a thick tree branch in her mouth and drags it behind her, making her own marks. I watch her in perplexed amusement, wondering what on earth she could be up to. After a minute of dragging her branch around, she stops and stares proudly at her masterpiece.

I gape at her work, shocked. It’s clearly _something_. It looks like…

I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. It looks like a girl, riding on the back of a dragon.

My head explodes in pain, and though I try to suppress it, a groan escapes my lips. Brightwing notices, and, to my surprise, she rests her chin on top of my head in an almost comforting way. I blink in shock, then put my arms around her neck.

“I _will_ come back,” I whisper in her ear, a promise I know I will not fail to keep.

Somehow, I think she understands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has always been one of my favorite parts of the original movie, when Hiccup goes to meet Toothless and he does THE HAND. I was so glad I could remake it for his daughter in this chapter! She got a more up-close gesture from Brightwing since they already know each other and "Astrid" just forgot. (I make it sound like it just happened to slip her mind, heh. ;)  
> Thank you so much for sticking with me through this book. If you like the music along with the chapters, please let me know so I can continue adding it! Have fun and stay safe!


	9. Flying?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid tries something-- but it doesn't work out as well as she would have hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, dragon fam! Welcome back to Dragon Girl! Not many people have been reading this, but I am still grateful for those of you who are. Please enjoy!

I manage to escape from dragon training early the next day, though I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do now. I eventually find myself in the forges where I work.

I can’t get Brightwing’s picture out of my mind. I keep thinking about the girl on the back of the dragon. Was Brightwing trying to tell me something? She must have been. She’s far too intelligent for it to have been an accident.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize how much I _want_ to ride Brightwing. It just seems so _right_ , after all, and maybe she was trying to tell me that she wants it, too. But how would I do it?

The answer comes to me almost immediately, like it’s been there in the back of my mind all along, just waiting for the right time to come forward. I grab my tools and some leather and get to work.

* * *

“Brightwing!” I call into the clearing. “It’s me! I’m back!”

Brightwing seems to melt out of the landscape to appear in front of me, smiling in her dragon-ish way.

“Hey, girl,” I greet her. “You hungry? ‘Cause I brought a treat for you.” I kick over my large basket of fish, and Brightwing’s feast spills out.

“Pretty great, huh?” I say as Brightwing begins eating. “I got some cod, herring, there’s even a whole eel right there.”

Brightwing stops suddenly and skitters away from the eel, hissing.

“Oh, that’s right,” I say, picking up the eel and concealing it from Brightwing’s view. “You don’t like eel, do you? Sorry, gi--”

My head erupts in pain, and I yelp. “Gods!” Then something occurs to me, and I frown. “How did I already know you don’t like eel?”

Brightwing gives me a sad, knowing look, then promptly turns back to her fish. I shrug. Oh, well.

With Brightwing distracted, I grab the saddle I finished earlier today and sneak up behind her. It’s easy positioning it on her back, but much harder to connect the straps underneath her belly. After a few minutes of struggling, I climb on top of the saddle and finally get it.

“There.”

I sit and admire my handiwork, not noticing Brightwing raising her wings behind me.

“What do you think, girl?” I ask. “Not too shabby, if I do say so myseWAUGH!”

I start screaming mid-word as Brightwing takes off with me in tow. I hold onto the saddle for dear life as I dangle above the ground. “Brightwing!” I gasp. “Stop!”

She doesn’t listen, and I think I may be hanging here until my arms fall off. Then, suddenly, Brightwing starts to falter, dipping violently to the left. I look behind me and realize that the cause of this is the long cut in her tail. The injured webbing of flesh in the back flaps about in the wind, throwing off Brightwing’s balance and preventing her from staying airborne. She starts falling toward the earth, taking me down with her.

Then, miraculously, Brightwing extends her wings, allowing for a sloppy glide back down to the ground. The landing is still a little rough; I fall off Brightwing’s back as she touches down. She grunts in concern over me.

“I wasn’t ready!” I complain, and I swear she rolls her eyes at me.

I need to make some adjustments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I seem to be remembering something but it just went away. Oh, well!  
> Jeez, girl, I thought you wanted to figure out more about your past.  
> Thank you so much for reading! Again, this chapter is a little overly reminiscent of the first HTTYD movie, but I'm working with what I've got to get us to the finale. And again, sorry for the super short chapters. I swear, I will make up for it as we get closer to the end! Hoping you like this so far! Have fun and stay safe!


	10. Training Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid returns to dragon training-- but something has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! FINALLY, I've gotten around to updating this! Sorry, I've been really caught up in one of my other works, but now I can finally give you the next part of Dragon Girl. Enjoy!

My eyes water as I try to see through the green gas, my back to Mollusk’s. This is one of Unferth’s most confusing exercises yet.

“You’ll have to use teamwork today,” Unferth says. “A wet dragon can’t light its fire. The Hydra is especially tricky. One head  _ breathes _ gas, the other  _ lights _ it. Your job is to know which is which.”

We’ve been split into three pairs, each student holding a bucket of water. I guess that gives me a better chance, with Mollusk as my partner, but I still don’t want to face this dragon.

“There!” shouts Starkwulf somewhere off to my left. There’s a splash as he and Dorfang throw the contents of their buckets, then shouts of protest.

“Hey!” Fordang whines. He and Keegan are soaked. “It’s just us, idiots!”

“You must be getting fatter,” Dorfang snickers. “We thought you were a dragon.”

“Of course, it could just be muscle,” Starkwulf says quickly.

The tense silence makes me doubt Keegan is impressed. Then I hear him and Fordang cry out as their buckets clatter to the ground, and a  _ thump _ that tells me they’ve fallen to the ground.

“Chances of survival are dwindling nearly to the negatives,” Mollusk whimpers.

“You’re  _ such _ an encouraging partner,” I grumble, but I freeze when I hear the guttural growl of a dragon.

One of the Hydra’s heads slithers out of the gas and sidles up to Mollusk. He yelps and fumbles with his bucket before tossing its contents onto the head.

The head shudders. Then, green gas pours out of its mouth. Whoops.

The head snaps at Mollusk, who shrieks and runs away, leaving me to complete the exercise myself.

The rest of the Hydra enters into my line of vision. The mouth of the head on the right is sparking.

“Now, Astrid!” Unferth calls.

I try, but the sparking head is far above mine, and I’ve never had good aim. The water splashes uselessly to the ground.

The Hydra seems to chuckle at my failed attempt to beat it. The rest of the class gasps in horror as the sparking head slithers toward the green gas, and Unferth cires, “Astrid!”

A sudden, crazy idea enters my mind. “Back!” I declare, thrusting my arms out toward the Hydra. “Get back!”

The movement of my arms exposes the eel I hid from Brightwing in my vest earlier today to the Hydra. The dragon nervously backs away from me.

“Don’t make me tell you again!” I announce, trying to display dominance to the Hydra. “Get back into your cage.”

I’ve somehow successfully backed the Hydra into its enclosure. I toss the eel into the pen, and the Hydra frantically presses itself against the wall, eyeing the eel with a look of absolute horror in all four of its eyes. “Now think about what you’ve done.”

I close the doors to the cage and bar them shut, then turn around to see Unferth and the other students staring at me, dumbstruck.

Oh, yeah. Astrid the Useless shouldn’t be able to do something cool like that.

I act like I don’t notice their expressions, which vary from dumbfounded (Unferth) to infuriated (Keegan). “Well!” I announce, rubbing my hands together in what I hope looks like carelessness. “If that’s all for today, I’ll just be going. I’ve got a… yeah. See ya!”

I have a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, very reminiscent of HTTYD 1. Sorry about that. It's kind of going to be like this for a while. Still, I hope you've been enjoying so far. Have fun and stay safe!


	11. For Real This Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While dealing with the troubles that come with keeping a secret, Astrid discovers something wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, my dragon friends! It's been a while since I updated, but here it is! Please enjoy!

As the days go by, I learn more and more from Brightwing, though I feel like I’ve known it all along.

Her lessons help me in dragon training. Except instead of them training me to be a better killer, it’s more like _I’m_ training _them_ to be my friends. I learn that dragons love the smell of grass, that they love it when you scratch under their chins, that they like chasing the reflective lights off of my weapons more than they like the weapons themselves. In no time, I’ve risen to the top of the class-- and the food chain.

Keegan is the only one who isn’t impressed with my newly-outstanding performance. It’s clear _he_ wants to be the one to ace the class and kill a Flaming Drakon in front of the whole village. I’ve stolen his thunder.

But I don’t want to kill the Flaming Drakon. I don’t want _anyone_ to kill it. Sure, the dragons look fierce, and they’ve killed a lot of Vikings, but we’ve killed our fair share of them, and the only people who have died are those who tried to pick fights with the wrong beasts. They’re only trying to stay alive, like any wild animal. If the rest of the village could only see the other side of the dragons…

I think these things as I hurry through the woods to see Brightwing, carrying my latest dragon-flying prototype. I’m not as careful as I probably should be, though, and crash through a set of bushes to see Keegan brandishing a spear at me, though he lowers it when he sees it’s only me. I must have come across him training.

Keegan glances down at the saddle in my arms, confusion obviously present on his face. I try for a smile, though it probably looks more like a pained grimace, with how freaked out I am to have run into him. “Hi.”

Before he can ask me what I’m doing, I dart into the foliage and hide. I hear Keegan try and follow me, but I’ve hidden too well and he eventually gives up.

That’s not the worst run-in with Keegan I have today, however. While I’m testing out my equipment with Brightwing, the ring on my belt that connects me to her bends, leaving me stuck firmly to her. It’s too stiff for me to fix without my tools, so I’m forced to wait until nightfall and do the unthinkable-- I sneak Brightwing right into the heart of the village.

By some miracle, no one notices the dragon attached to my skirt, and I manage to slip Brightwing into the forges. She takes up nearly all the space, though, and can hardly move without causing some kind of loud noise. I resolve to scooping up the necessary tools as fast as humanly possible when I hear Keegan’s voice outside the door. “Astrid?”

“Hide!” I whisper uselessly, since Brightwing can barely fit past the shelves, much less hide behind them. I wonder if I can just ignore him.

No, I can’t do that. He’d just open the door himself, and then he’d see Brightwing and I’d be in huge trouble.

I open the door just barely wide enough for me to quickly squeeze through and slam it behind me. “Oh, hi, Keegan!” I say, trying to sound nonchalant. “Wha--what are you doing here at this time of night?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Keegan says, crossing his arms skeptically. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you’re acting weird.” He takes in my riding gear. “Well, weird _er_.”

I hear Brightwing snuffling around inside the workshop, and the string on my belt pulls tight. Oh, gods, no…

I laugh nervously as Brightwing’s movement pulls me against the door, then off the ground. Keegan’s eyes narrow, and I act fast, yanking the door open and mounting Brightwing. Keegan throws the door open, but by the time he does, Brightwing and I are long gone.

* * *

_[Mood Music: Test Drive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpPIK4T068s) _

The wind whips the flyaways from my braid as Brightwing glides above the sea. We’re doing it. We’re flying. For real this time.

“Okay, let’s try this,” I say to Brightwing. “Gently for now.”

Brightwing makes a noise of confirmation. She flies out, away from the cliffs, away from the safety we’ve been practicing at until now, over the open water.

Surprisingly, this isn’t as terrifying as I imagined it would be. “Yeah!” I shout. “Woo-hoo!”

Brightwing gives me a cheerful chirp, but it’s quickly cut short by her running into a weird rock formation in the middle of the water due to my distraction.

“Sorry!” I tell her quickly.

She slaps me in the face with one of her ears disgruntledly. “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I say crossly. I glance down at her tail brace, which seems to be holding up pretty well. It holds her injured tail fin stiff so she can stay airborne, but allows her enough maneuverability that she can move her tail freely by herself. “Let’s try going up.”

Brightwing complies. Higher and higher we climb, up into the clouds. “This is amazing!” I cry, overcome with the exhilaration of being this far above the ground. “The feel of--”

The ring on my belt suddenly pops out of its hook. “No!” I scream, fumbling to reconnect it, but I’m not quick enough. The solidity of Brightwing’s body disappears from beneath me, and my stomach flips as I plummet through the air.

“Brightwing!” I cry out. She squawks and dives after me, but by the time she catches up, we’re so close to the ground and falling so fast that there’s not much I can think of doing to save us.

Nevertheless, I clamber onto Brightwing’s back, and she throws out her wings as air resistance. I scream madly as the sky seems to try to rip the skin off my face.

Some buried instinct crawls its way up to the surface of my mind, and suddenly, I know what to do. I clutch the top of the saddle and nudge my toes into Brightwing’s sides. She tucks her wings in and dives according to my instruction. I wait, then nudge her again. She pulls up out of the dive an instant before we hit the ground. Then I maneuver her through the maze of trees until we emerge over the sea once again, where the sun gleams on the water like the most beautiful tapestry. I marvel at the beauty before me, the sight of which would be unattainable without Brightwing. Can this really be worth changing our entire culture for?

Maybe the view isn’t. But the opportunities it presents?

I think so.

But it isn’t all unfamiliar. It seems like something I somehow know, something from… my past.

I lean down to whisper in Brightwing’s ear. “What do you know about me?”

I’m sure that if she could reply, she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing the flying scene. It was challenging, putting such a visual-reliant scene into words, but I thought I managed it pretty well. Let me know what you thought!  
> That's all I have for notes today. Have fun and stay safe!


	12. Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the semifinals have arrived-- and Astrid is met with several unpleasant surprises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fans! I've decided that this work is going to be a little more prioritized at the moment, because I'm pretty anxious to get to the next section of the storyline. So right now, enjoy!

The semifinals. The day I was dreading above anything else. It’s here.

The crowd cheers loudly, filling me with even more fear. The entire village has turned out to watch us perform.

Us-- that is to say, me and Keegan. We’re the top students, the ones who are competing for the “honor” of killing the Flaming Drakon.

Keegan’s only gotten more competitive as time goes on, especially since the chief’s just returned from a failed quest to find the dragons’ nest. He doesn’t want me to show him up in front of his father.

Before we entered the arena, Keegan pulled me aside, spear in hand and hard anger in his eyes. “Stay out of my way,” he growled menacingly. “ _I’m_ winning this.”

I’m not sure where Keegan is now. Probably lying in wait for the Norkon we’re facing. He can ace this test, for all I care.

Actually, he can’t. By the time he jumps out, the Norkon lies still at my feet, completely subjected by my scratching on its neck. But it probably looks much different from Keegan’s perspective.

Only when Unferth cheers my name do I realize the terrible mistake I’ve made.

* * *

“We’re leaving,” I announce to the apparently-empty clearing nearly an hour later. “C’mon out, girl. Looks like you and me are taking a vacay. Should be fun, right? Might be so fun we won’t come back for about… ever.”

Maybe running away is the cowardly thing to do. But I just can’t face this. I can’t kill a dragon. I proved that when I freed Brightwing all those weeks ago. But nobody else knows about that. I can’t show my weakness in front of the whole village.

I still don’t see Brightwing, so I decide to double-check my pack. It’s full of mostly just food, but I do have some personal belongings that Unferth discovered after finding me in the woods five years ago. There’s a belt buckle shaped like a skull, a few blank journals, and a little wood-carved dragon crest strung on a necklace. But the one I’m most attached to, which I remove now, is a map. Not just any map, but one of a place I’ve never seen before. The main part is a large island that I can only say is not Skaldi, but other, smaller bits of paper have been stuck all around it, adding smaller islands with funny names, like “Itchy Armpit.”

Maybe if I can find one of these islands, I can find where I came from. I’ll be far enough away from Skaldi that they’ll never find me.

I hear something from behind me, but it’s not Brightwing landing. It’s the sound of a whetstone scraping across a blade.

I spin around and jump. “Keegan!” I exclaim, startled to see him sitting casually on a rock behind me, like he’s been there all day. “What-- what are you doing here?”

Keegan drops the stone and examines his spear. “I wanna know what’s going on.” He hops down from the rock and stalks toward me with an air of mixed nonchalance and intimidation. “No one just _gets_ as good as you. _Especially_ you. Start talking.”

“I-- I--” I stutter, backing away from him. “I don’t know…”

I don’t know why I’m _blushing_! Gods, that’s embarrassing!

“Better not have anything to do with _this_.” Keegan kicks my pack distastefully.

“I know, I know,” I say. “This looks really bad, but--”

A stick snaps somewhere off to my left, and Keegan gasps and pushes me down, staring intently in the direction the sound originated from.

“Okay, okay!” I say, clambering to my feet and trying desperately to regain Keegan’s attention. “You got me. I’m done lying. I’ve been… training out here! Yep, that’s it. So, why don’t you drag me back, rat me out…” I grab his hand and try to redirect him to the way back to the village.

He grabs my arm and twists it painfully behind my back. “That’s for lying,” he says flatly. “And _that’s_ for everything else.”

“Ow!” I yelp as he twists my arm even more. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry!”

A squawk comes from the bushes. Keegan lets go of me, and to my horror, Brightwing emerges from the dark foliage.

Keegan gasps. “Get down!” He jumps me and pins me down.

Brightwing screeches at his roughness and charges toward us. Keegan picks up his spear and prepares to plunge it into her chest.

“No!” I shout, clamoring to my feet. I tear the spear out of Keegan’s hands and jump in front of him as Brightwing rears up on her hind legs. “Woah, girl!” I say, trying to calm her. “Easy! Don’t worry; he’s a friend.”

Brightwing slowly lowers herself to the ground, my soothing seeming to do the trick, though she doesn’t take her eyes off of Keegan, who’s staring at me in shocked terror. I rub Brightwing’s head softly and look at him. “You scared her.”

“ _I_ scared _her_?!” Keegan says disbelievingly, his voice about an octave higher than usual. Then he stops and gives me a strange look, like I’ve just asked him to put his hand in Brightwing’s mouth. “ _Her?_ ”

“Umm…” This is _not_ how I imagined today would go. “Keegan, Brightwing. Brightwing, Keegan.”

I give Brightwing a pointed look, which she completely ignores. She hisses at Keegan, as though daring him to take another step toward her.

Keegan seems at a loss for words. He opens and closes his mouth soundlessly, like a fish out of water.

“It’s bad, I know,” I say. “But, you know… well, it’s kind of a long story…”

Keegan is still silent, seeming incapable of speech. He shakes his head at me wordlessly, then turns and runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO GLAD to finally have a little more reference to our main character's previous life! We FINALLY have a little more variation from the film! But other than that, yeah, you pretty much know what happens.  
> That's all for notes today. Have fun and stay safe!


	13. Let Me Show You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid allows another to share her secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fans! I liked this scene a lot because it's one of my favorites from the movie. But just like with the flying scene, I had to put a visual-reliant scene into words. Let me know how you think I did! Enjoy!

I let Keegan have a little bit of a head start. It doesn’t seem like much of a fair race, dragon wings against human feet.

“Down,” I tell Brightwing when we catch up to him after only a minute or two. “We can’t let him tell anyone. But _be nice_.”

Keegan lets out a high-pitched scream as Brightwing wraps her talons around his body. If I wasn’t so terrified he’d tell the whole village about Brightwing, I’d _never_ let him live this down.

At my direction, Brightwing releases Keegan at the top of a thirty-foot-high tree, then perches on a limb next to him. Something tells me this tactic works pretty well.

“Astrid!” Keegan shouts furiously, hanging onto his branch for dear life. “Get me down from here!”

“You have to at least give me a chance to explain!” I say.

“I am not listening to _anything_ you have to say!” Keegan yells.

“Then I won’t say anything,” I promise, and Keegan seems surprised by this. “Just let me show you. Please, Keegan.”

Keegan seems to seriously consider staying in the tree, but eventually he climbs hand over hand to me and Brightwing. I offer him my hand, but he slaps it away and instead mounts Brightwing on his own, looking very uncomfortable. “Now get me down,” he says, nervously peering at the ground far below.

“You heard him,” I say to Brightwing with a pointed look. “ _Gentle._ ”

Brightwing spreads her wings, catching the air before takeoff. “See?” I say to Keegan, not noticing Brightwing’s hard, stony stare. “Nothing to worry about.”

[ _Mood Music: Astrid Goes for a Spin_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D65fbxmVUmc)

Brightwing swoops off the treetop-- hard. She soars up into the air with greater speed than I would have thought possible. I yelp, but gather myself quickly. Keegan, on the other hand, screams wildly.

“Brightwing, what are you doing?” I shout to her.

My dragon ignores me. She tucks her wings in, and my stomach flips as she plunges toward the sea below. She stops just an instant before we hit the water and bounces unevenly.

“Cut it out!” I yell to her as Keegan clutches madly at my collar. “We need him to be on our side!”

But Brightwing isn’t finished. She gains more height and does about a dozen barrel rolls as we zip up to the clouds.

“Wow,” I say as calmly as I can with Keegan shrieking and squeezing the life out of me. “I really overestimated your intelligence, didn’t I?”

As Brightwing dives down again, Keegan relents. “I’m sorry,” he gasps. “I’m sorry. Please, just-- just make it stop!”

This seems to be exactly what Brightwing wants from him. She stops suddenly and thrusts out her wings, the abrupt jolt quickly transitioning into a smooth glide.

[ _Mood Music: Romantic Flight_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJR8tuO-mIU)

I can feel Keegan’s face, pressed tightly against my back, slowly move as he hesitantly looks up.

Brightwing slowly gains height as the sun sets in the distance. I smile as Keegan reaches out with a tentative hand to touch the clouds that hover just inches above our heads. As the sun disappears under the horizon, Brightwing tilts upward and soars through the clouds. Above a sea of foamy white, the Aurora Borealis twinkles in the night sky.

The touch of Keegan’s arms around my waist becomes soft and gentle as he rests his head contentedly against my shoulders, and I feel my face redden.

“Okay, I’ll say it,” he finally says. “This is incredible.” He glances down at Brightwing, a soft smile on his face. “ _She’s_ incredible.”

I don’t respond. My grin is too wide for speech.

Then Keegan frowns. “Astrid, your exam is _tomorrow_. What’re you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I say quietly. “That’s what I was trying to figure out before.”

Brightwing suddenly tenses. Her ears perk up, and she sniffs the air carefully.

“What is it, girl?” I ask.

My question is answered when a fierce-looking Hydra soars out of the fog toward us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh... I love that scene so much. I think you'll agree with me when I say that Romantic Flight is one of the greatest tracks from the HTTYD soundtrack, so I just had to include it in this scene.  
> I felt like I needed more attitude from Brightwing, since she is SO SASSY in the first book. This scene gave me the chance to show that part of her personality.  
> That's all I have for notes today. Have fun and stay safe!


	14. The Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid and Keegan have found something incredible, something terrific, something... monstrous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm glad that I'm working on this book more, it's nice to take a break from my other work. Enjoy!

“Get down!” I whisper to Keegan, flattening myself against Brightwing’s back.

The Hydra doesn’t seem to have noticed us. It flies right alongside Brightwing, all but ignoring her. A second later, another dragon, an enormous Norkon, appears at its side. Then yet another dragon appears. More and more emerge from the fog until we’re surrounded. I lose count at about sixteen. What is going on?

As if in response to my unspoken question, a huge mountain appears out of the mist, where it looks like the dragons are headed.

“What _is_ this place?” I ask in a hushed whisper.

Keegan taps me on the shoulder and points. “Look.”

I turn my head ever so slightly. A Scorpion that has appeared on Brightwing’s right holds a bleating sheep tightly in its claws.

“That’s one of Skaldi’s sheep!” I exclaim quietly. “It’s the dragons’ raid spoils! Which means--”

“We’re at the nest,” Keegan finishes in an awed breath.

I shake myself out of my shock and pat Brightwing on the neck to get her attention. “Stay out of sight, girl,” I say. “I want to know what’s going on.”

We enter the mountain through a small hole in the side of the rock, and I almost gasp out loud at what we find inside. Hundreds upon hundreds of dragons lay huddled together in scattered groups throughout the mountain’s hollow interior. I can’t even begin to count the number of groups there are, let alone the total number of dragons. I estimate that there must be over a thousand, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there are even more.

As Keegan and I watch from the side, the entering dragons drop their sheep and fish and other stolen food into a large pit in the center of the mountain, where lava would sit in a volcano.

“They’re not eating _any_ of it,” I observe quietly.

“So they steal our food to waste it?” Keegan demands. “Why?”

A sharp tingle spreads from my chest through the rest of my body, a feeling of… completion. But also fear, because now, inexplicably, I know the answer to Keegan’s question.

“We have to get out of here,” I murmur. “Come on, Brightwing, let’s go.”

But before Brightwing can obey, a humongous, scaly face emerges from the obscured pit below. Sharp jaws the size of a cliff snap a Norkon in two.

“What is _that_?” Keegan gasps, the tiniest bit too loudly.

One of the gigantic creature’s huge, beady eyes turns on me, Keegan, and Brightwing. The beast roars deafeningly, almost like a command.

“Go, Brightwing!” I scream as my head splits open in agonizing pain at the sight of the creature. She soars out of the nest before the other dragons can converge on us, leaving the mysterious monster behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, what could it be, I wonder? TOTALLY not the giant dragon Zeph heard stories about all her life, noooo, that would be CRAZY... Anybody want pancakes? Cuz I sure do!  
> ...Dang it, my distraction tactic must've failed.  
> So, Astrid's little "sense of completion" there. Y'all remember that when she left New Berk, her goal was to find a nest? Well, now she's done it! She can go back home now! ...Oh, yeah. If not for that one tiny detail.  
> Anyway, that's all I have for notes today. Have fun and stay safe!


	15. Green Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After escaping the nest, Astrid and Keegan realize something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fans! This has become the top priority in my works, so I hope I can get the draft of the next book finished in time. Enjoy!

“Can you believe it?” Keegan says excitedly as we land back on Skaldi. “We found the nest! And a whole new type of dragon!”

“Green Death,” I gasp, nearly falling off Brightwing’s back as I attempt to dismount her.

Keegan looks at me, puzzled. “What?”

“Green Death,” I say again, pressing my clenched fists to my throbbing skull. “That’s what it’s called. Green Death.”

“That’s what you want to call it?” Keegan asks, evidently still confused.

“That’s what it _is_ called,” I groan. “I _know_ that thing. My dad--”

I almost scream as the pain multiplies by a hundred. Keegan hurries over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders to support me. “Astrid,” he says uneasily, “what are you talking about?”

“I don’t know,” I whimper. For a second, I thought I remembered something, but now it’s gone. Fortunately, so is the pain.

I breathe deeply and shakily take my own weight. “I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s nothing.”

“You said something about your dad,” Keegan presses. “Do you-- is your memory coming back?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “I thought so, but-- it’s gone.”

“That’s great!” Keegan says enthusiastically. “If your dad fought it, then you must know how to beat it! I’ll go tell my father--”

“No!” I say quickly. Keegan stops, surprised by my ferocity. “I mean--” I inhale deeply. “Keegan, we can’t tell _anyone_ about this. It’s too dangerous. If anyone knew about Brightwing…” I swallow hard, unable to finish.

Keegan stares at me, as if he’s having trouble processing this. “Astrid,” he says carefully, “we found the dragons’ _nest_. The one thing our ancestors have been hunting for generations! And you want to keep it a _secret_? To protect your… your _pet_ dragon?”

I look into his eyes unflinchingly. “Yes,” I say quietly. “That’s exactly it.”

Keegan looks mystified. Then he breathes and nods. “Fine,” he says. “If that’s what you want.”

I nod gratefully. “It really is.”

We stand there in silence, the moonlight adding silver streaks to Keegan’s golden hair. My heart skips a beat as I realize for the first time that Keegan is actually pretty attractive.

The tension breaks when Keegan punches my upper arm. “That’s for almost scaring me to death,” he says.

Gasping slightly, I rub my arm where his fist made contact, trying to understand his weird boy behavior. Then, after biting his lip and running his hand through his hair in a nervous, distractingly-cute kind of way, he leans over and pecks my cheek lightly. “That’s for everything else,” he says, avoiding my eyes, his face reddening visibly in the moonlight.

I stare after him, frozen with the rush of new emotions into my body, as he darts off into the woods and is swallowed by the darkness. As my heart stutters erratically, I think I remember what it feels like to love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AWWWWWWWWW SO SWEET!!!!  
> Man, I wish guys would be that forward with me. #thesinglelife  
> But anyway, this chapter was a little difficult to get right, mostly because of the name of the monster dragon. I wasn't sure if it was Green Death or Red Death, and it didn't help that I got conflicting results when I looked it up. The fan wiki said it was the Green Death, but on the soundtrack, it says Red Death. Personally, I think it looks more like a BLUE Death, but I went with Green Death because I can see some people seeing it as green. But I'm still confused.  
> Thank you guys so much for reading! Have fun and stay safe!


	16. The Final Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Astrid to kill the Flaming Drakon, but things will not turn out as expected-- for anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, dragon fans! Welcome back to Dragon Girl! Hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!

Just like when Keegan and I were in the semifinals, the entire village has gathered, this time to watch me kill my first dragon.

Little do they know that this is the last thing I want.

“Be careful out there,” Keegan says as I stare into the arena, the prospect of what I must do looming over my head.

Ever since our flight and… that other thing, my relationship with Keegan has… changed. We’re friends now, but I’m not sure if that’s all I want. It especially doesn’t help that my heart doesn’t seem to function properly around him anymore.

“Look,” I say, looking Keegan in the eye, uneasiness stirring in my chest, “if something goes wrong out there… I want you to promise me that you won’t let them find Brightwing. Keep her safe.”

“I will,” Keegan says. “But… promise _me_ it won’t go wrong.”

I have no reply.

Unferth appears and smiles proudly down at me. “Knock ‘em dead, lassie,” he says, looking like he’s struggling to hold back his emotion.

 _No, thanks,_ I say in my head, but on the outside, I breathe deeply and nod, donning the helmet Unferth gave me last night, the one he found with my pack in the woods five years ago, which, creepily enough, is apparently made from half of a woman’s breastplate. I try not to think about this fact as said helmet goes on my head.

It’s pretty easy to forget, however, when the gate to the arena opens. The crowd cheers my name as I step into the light. _“Astrid! Astrid! Astrid!”_

I always wanted to hear my name chanted as praise rather than scolding, but now, the encouragement sounds more like a death sentence than the disapproval ever did. I wish I could just go back to being Astrid the Useless.

I approach the weapons and pull a shield off the rack, along with a small dagger. I hear the gathering murmur among themselves at my choice of weaponry, but I don’t think it matters that the dagger is so small. It’s not like I’m going to be using it, anyway.

I stand in front of the Flaming Drakon’s pen and nod to show that I’m ready. There’s the quiet creak and clink of gears as the bar is removed from the door. For a moment, all is silent.

Then the cage explodes.

The wooden door is ripped from its hinges and half-melted into a pile of goo by the Drakon’s gel-like fire. The Drakon itself roars at the crowd and uses the hook-like appendages on the ends of its wings to scuttle around the metal netting that separates the contents of the pit from the onlookers above. The villagers gasp in eager anticipation as the Drakon pauses and notices me, much easier prey than the stuff above. After slowly lowering itself to the ground, it slinks toward me like a weasel stalking a field mouse, a low growl rumbling in its chest.

Slowly, boldly, I back away from the creature, keeping myself positioned toward it. I drop my dagger and my shield, ignoring the shocked gasps from the onlookers above me. I carefully raise my hands to show the Drakon I’m not armed.

“Shh,” I say soothingly to the dragon. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

The dragon looks skeptically above my head. Knowing what it will take to gain its trust, I remove my helmet, and with difficulty, I toss it aside. “I’m not one of them.”

The villagers gasp. “Stop the fight,” Enger says in a quiet but carrying order.

“No,” I say firmly, holding my hand out toward the Drakon’s snout carefully. “We don’t have to be scared of them. They’re just as frightened as we are.”

The Drakon’s pupils dilate as it sniffs my hand experimentally. It comes closer and closer, its snout nearly pressing against my palm--

“I said STOP THE FIGHT!” Enger roars, slamming his huge hammer against the bars.

The noise shakes the Drakon from my influence. Snarling, it opens its jaws and shuts them with a fierce snap, nearly taking off my hand. I jerk backward and try to pick up my shield again, but a sudden blast of lava from the dragon forces me to veer off. I sprint around the arena, away from the rogue dragon, running for my life.

“Astrid!” I hear Keegan cry out. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him force the gate open with a large ax and slip into the arena.

“Keegan, no!” I scream, but it’s too late. Keegan has succeeded in saving me from the dragon, but now _he_ is the target.

The Drakon slithers toward Keegan, hissing menacingly, but Keegan is one step ahead. He grabs a spear from the weaponry rack and hurls it toward the dragon’s face, purposefully missing so that the blade flies straight across its nose, diverting its attention away from him.

I don’t need to look at Keegan to know what he needs me to do. While the Drakon is distracted, I sprint across the arena toward the exit, where Unferth is pulling Keegan into the safety of the tunnels. He reaches for me next, I’ve almost made it--

 _Splat._ A smattering of Drakon fire hits the wall of the arena, right on the mechanisms that control the gate. I want to keep running to Keegan, to safety, but I know that I will never make it in time and swerve to avoid being crushed.

I have no plan. I have no protection, no way to calm the Drakon, because it’s far too wild now to tame, with the commotion from above and the frenzy the chase has thrown it into. But I can’t stop running or I’ll become a smoldering pile of goo like the cage door.

And then I hear a sound that terrifies me even more than the prospect of my death. An unholy shriek, the sound of wings about to break the sound barrier.

“Brightwing, _no_ ,” I whimper.

A bolt of purple blasts a hole in the chain-link netting above the arena, and I duck my head. Smoke fills the arena, making me cough. When I look up, eyes watering, I see a white shape thrashing furiously against the Drakon’s body.

“White Creeper,” Unferth gasps in disbelief.

I’ve never seen Brightwing like this. She shrieks and hisses, tearing at every exposed bit of the Drakon’s flesh. At last, the Drakon yields and swoops out of the arena through the hole Brightwing created in the net.

The threat of the Drakon removed, the Vikings who were watching leap into the arena and surround Brightwing. I get to her first. “You did good, girl,” I tell her hurriedly. “Now get out of here. Go!”

She doesn’t listen. She spreads her wings and growls at the other Vikings, trying to protect me, not knowing that they think they’re doing the same thing. The villagers pounce on Brightwing. I scream, my eyes wet with tears now. As they pin her to the ground, Enger strides up behind me.

“Don’t hurt her,” I sob. “Please, she’s harmless! Just let her go!”

Enger’s burning glare makes it clear that my begging means nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh nooooooo, this has gone terribly wrong!  
> Well, I bet you guys can guess what happens next. Sorry, but this book is just a teeeeensy bit predictable. I apologize for that. But, you know, you may still get some unexpected twists and turns.  
> Hope you guys are enjoying so far! Have fun and stay safe!


	17. Not a Skaldian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid must deal with the consequences of what has happened in the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, fam! Welcome back! This chapter's pretty short, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Enger throws me into the chief’s hall roughly by the arm. I fall to the ground, wrecked by the effects my disastrous exam have had on me both physically and emotionally.

“How could you do this?” he demands. “You’ve just placed the entire village in danger!”

“She won’t hurt anyone, I swear!” I say desperately. “She’s harmless!”

“ _Harmless?_ ” Enger bellows. “Someone could have been killed back there!”

“She was protecting me!” I say. “She didn’t know--”

“That _thing_ ,” Enger growls, “is a threat.”

“Just because she’s a dragon?” I say.

“They’ve killed hundreds of us!” Enger shouts.

“And we’ve destroyed _millions_ of them!” I throw back at him. He only gives me a hard glare in response, so I go on, “They only attack us because they _have_ to. It’s eat or be eaten in their world. There’s a Green Death on their island, a dragon that’s worse than anything that’s come here before--”

“Their island?” Enger cuts in, suddenly freezing. He bends down and looks me in the eye intensely. “So you’ve been to the nest?”

“Did I say that?” I say uneasily, only just now hearing the words that have come out of my mouth.

“How did you find it?” Enger demands, towering over me intimidatingly.

“I-- I didn’t,” I stammer. “Brightwing. No human can find it, only a dragon would be able to--”

I stop, noticing the famous gleam in Enger’s eye. Dread fills my stomach. “No,” I say softly. “No, no, no. You’re making a mistake, you don’t know what you’re up against--”

“Stop!” Enger says sharply, and I fall silent. “You have brought shame upon yourself and anything you may ever do. You don’t deserve to live here. You’re not a Viking.” He shakes his head, choking on his next words, and I know he’s seeing the helpless ten-year-old girl who came to him five years ago, who he accepted as one of his adopted children in the village. “You’re not a Skaldian.”

He sweeps out of the chief’s hall without saying anything else, leaving me to dwell on the sting of his words. And I can’t be sure, but I think I see him brush a tear out of the corner of his eye.

The tears fall silently down my cheeks before I can stop them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The emotion is felt strongly on both sides of this conversation. On the one hand, Astrid has just been told what she's always known: that she doesn't belong. Still, it's extremely painful to hear. On the other side, you have Enger, who views and loves every child in the village as his own. To be Skaldian is to be a part of his family, and he's basically just told Astrid that he no longer accepts her as a part of that family. Very painful for both of them.  
> Hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Have fun and stay safe!


	18. The Ships Depart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid watches as her best friend leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fans! We're getting pretty close to the end here, and I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me. Please enjoy!

They lock Brightwing in the strongest shackles ever forged. Her wings are pinned to her body, her tail and feet straightened out and immobile. Only her head is capable of moving, and even that has been covered with chains, her mouth bound shut with a leather muzzle, left only with the ability to turn her head from side to side.

I watch from the cliffside as they drag my best friend, chained like a prisoner, onto the ship at the head of the fleet. I would cry if I could, but the tears have long since dried up.

Keegan comes up and joins me, his expression somber. He, too, knows of the danger on the dragons’ island. His father is heading straight for that danger, woefully unprepared. He may lose someone today, too.

“You’ve _really_ done it this time,” he says, though his tone isn’t scornful-- it’s soft and reflects the seriousness of my emotions. “You’ve made yourself an outcast again. You’ve lost your respect, your family, your best friend…”

“Thanks for summing that up,” I grumble, though I know he’s right. This _is_ my fault. None of this would’ve happened if I’d never let Brightwing go. “I should’ve just killed that dragon when I found her,” I mutter.

“Anyone else here would’ve done it,” Keegan agrees. “So why didn’t you?”

“I couldn’t,” I say dully.

“That’s not an answer.”

For some reason, this rubs me the wrong way. “What am I supposed to tell you, Keegan?” I ask irritably. “Do you want a list? Fine. I was weak. I was a coward. I wouldn’t kill a dragon.”

“You said _wouldn’t_ that time,” Keegan notices.

“What’s the difference?” I say. “I was the worst Viking in the history of Viking existence. I wouldn’t kill a dragon.”

“But _why_?”

I start, realizing that I don’t know the answer myself. Why _wouldn’t_ I kill a dragon?

I think back to that day, when I found Brightwing, that day that seems like it happened years ago. I remember looking into those green eyes, into that soul that so deeply reflected my own. I recall that moment, that realization, that made me lower my knife from her heart to her bonds.

“I didn’t kill her,” I say slowly, “because I knew it wasn’t right. I couldn’t hurt her because I understood her. I looked at her, and I saw myself.”

The words sound familiar in my mind, and I realize that I _can’t_ live without Brightwing. She is the key to my past, the person that changed me, and my best friend. Without her, who am I? _What_ am I?

“I have to save her,” I say quietly.

“How are you going to do that?” asks Keegan. “They took every last ship to the island.”

“I’ll think of something.”

Keegan smiles. “What are you going to do?”

I shrug. “Probably something stupid.”

“You already did that,” Keegan points out.

And just like that, an idea starts forming in my mind. A wide grin slowly starts to spread across my face. “Then something crazy.”

As I turn to head to the arena, I hear Keegan say, “ _That’s_ what I like to hear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAH, that is one of my FAVORITE quotes from the movie! "I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself." I knew I just HAD to give Hiccup's daughter the chance to echo his words in this chapter, because ACK it was just so grating on the feels!  
> That's all I have for notes today because of the short chapter. Sorry! But that will be remedied in just a little bit. Have fun and stay safe!


	19. I Do Something Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid does something crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, m'dears! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

It’s almost comical, my friends’ reactions, as I tell them about my plan. These kids, who spent their entire lives striving to become the greatest dragon killers Skaldi’s ever seen, are now eager to become the island’s first dragon riders.

“This plan of yours…” Mollusk muses. “It might actually work.”

“Do we get to set fire to stuff while we’re at it?” Dorfang asks eagerly, a disturbing gleam in her eye.

Fordang shoves her aside to get all up in my face, glaring stonily. “You’re _crazy_!” he says, then after glancing around quickly as if to make sure no one’s listening, he smolders at me and adds, “So, if you wanna hang sometime…”

Keegan pushes him aside, saving me from an awkward rejection speech. “So,” he says to me, as though there’s no one here but us, “what’s the plan, chief?”

Seeing Keegan hand his leadership over to me so smoothly nearly makes me blush, but I quickly push it down. “Don’t freak out,” I say, knowing that at least one of them will in spite of my warning. “This won’t be something you’re used to.”

With that, I pull the lever that controls the locks to the Flaming Drakon’s cage.

Two monstrous, beady yellow eyes narrow at me from the interior of the pen as I hurriedly step aside, hoping to avoid an explosion like the one that occurred earlier. I’m sure the dragon recognizes me, by face or by scent, but it doesn’t attack. I get the feeling that it remembers what I did before all Hel broke loose and is trying to figure out what to do with me.

I hold out my hand toward the huge monster. “Come on, girl,” I coax softly (from its size and behaviors, I assume that she was, at one point, a nesting mother). “It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

The Drakon sniffs disdainfully, but slowly stands.

“That’s it,” I say encouragingly to her, backing out of the pen slowly, my hand still outstretched, never turning my back on her. The Drakon follows, taking slow, deliberate steps, her gaze fixated on my hand.

As the Drakon emerges entirely from the cage, I hear Keegan utter a soft “Don’t,” and a quiet clatter. One of the others must have tried to pick up a weapon in their apprehension.

As I approach the others, I slow down enough to let the Drakon press her snout to my palm. Then, keeping my eyes on the Drakon, I reach out with my free hand and grab at the wrist of the person closest to me, Starkwulf. “Wait, what?” he yelps as I guide his hand toward the Drakon’s snout.

“Shh,” I say to him, knowing that it is just as important for the trainer to be calm as it is for the dragon. “It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

Starkwulf stammers incoherently as his fingertips near the Drakon’s snout. Then, carefully, I remove my own hand and leave Starkwulf’s in its place. The Drakon mulls over this new scent, then sighs in contentment, pressing her snout more firmly into Starkwulf’s palm. Starkwulf seems surprised, then laughs breathlessly,appearing more comfortable now that he knows the Drakon isn’t going to eat him right away. Satisfied, I step back.

Without me right there next to him, Starkwulf immediately appears more frightened. “Where’re you going?” he calls nervously, his voice an octave higher than it should be.

“You’ll need something to hold on to,” I say, tossing a rope at his feet. I glance at the rest of my friends. “You, too.”

From the shocked looks on their faces, you’d think I hadn’t told them anything. There’s a shriek, and they all turn to see the rest of the dragons standing outside their cages, blinking and cocking their heads curiously at them, completely docile.

I smile. “Choose your steed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. But it will be made up for next time, promise. But I can also promise that there won't be an extended wait for this next super-long chapter. I'm not that mean.  
> Hope you enjoyed this installment of Dragon Girl! Have fun and stay safe!


	20. On a Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid must defeat the Green Death-- and her memory will play an essential part in doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fans! I know the last several chapters have been pretty short, but now, as promised, I'm making up for it with an extra-long chapter. Enjoy!

“Can you see it?”

I scan the horizon, searching for any sign of the dragons’ nest. Even a hint of that mysterious mist would be welcome. But it’s annoyingly difficult to concentrate when my brain is hyper-aware of my arms locked around Keegan’s waist.

“Nothing,” I say, my heart sinking. All my hopes are riding on whether the Spiny Scorpion carrying me and Keegan can find the nest, as Brightwing is probably already there. But even though the Scorpion most likely came from this very same nest, it seems to be having trouble finding it again.

Suffice it to say, the others are no help at all. Mollusk cries out as he struggles to stay balanced on the Norkon, Dorfang and Fordang argue on the twin necks of the Hydra, and Starkwulf whimpers fervent prayers to Odin that the Drakon doesn’t suddenly decide to eat him.

And then, out of nowhere, a thick fog closes over us. Keegan whoops with delight, but I am too busy searching through the obscurity. Brightwing, where is Brightwing?

A sea of boulders appears on the water, peppered with the splintered remains of old Skaldian ships. Ahead, the tip of a mountain appears. “There!” I cry uselessly, pointing at the clearly-visible peak ahead. “Hurry, before they--”

An enormous _boom_ emanates from the nest, and a thick cloud of dragons appears above it, swarming the peak before vanishing into the depths of the fog.

“No,” I whisper in horror. Because no matter what Enger tries, I know what happens next.

An earth-shattering roar bellows from the mountain, seeming to make even the air tremble. The dragons squawk and try to turn back, but Keegan keeps them firmly on course.

“What was _that_?” Mollusk chokes.

“The Green Death,” I say grimly, my face drained completely of blood. “We’re on a clock now.”

Keegan wastes no time. He spurs the Scorpion on, and we shoot toward the nest.

As we near the battlefield, I am horrified by what I see. Vikings scream in terror, scrambling to avoid the humongous talons that have already crushed their catapults. Some throw spears and axes, but they bounce off the beast’s scales uselessly. Finally, I force myself to look at the dragon itself.

Free of the cramped interior of the nest, the Green Death is even more horrific than I imagined. None of the stories I’ve heard (and my head throbs as I remember there _were_ stories) can come close to a good description of the panic and terror the sight of this thing invokes. Three pairs of beady eyes dart around as if each has a mind of its own. Cruel, wicked sharp talons aim for screaming Vikings on the ground, attempting to squash them like bugs. Its wings, though I can’t see them, I know have sharp claws on the ends. Most terrifying of all, it towers three hundred feet above the ground, almost as tall as the mountain itself, its tail tripping Vikings caught off guard, its mouth a gaping black hole filled with cruel barbs as teeth. The hole opens to emit an ear-splitting bellow.

“Now!” I shout.

Per my instruction, the Norkon fires a burning blast at the Green Death, its force turning the beast’s head to the side.

Our dragons swoop in over the island. I spot Enger and Unferth staring up at us in awe, but I haven’t enough time to dwell on that.

“Fly around it,” I call to the others. “Make some noise. It won’t have a blind spot, so try to move around a lot. Distract it!”

“Can do,” Dorfang says with a mischievous grin. “I’m the queen of distraction.”

“Since when?” Fordang demands. “Everybody knows _I’m_ the more annoying one.”

“No, I am.”

“I am!”

“ _I_ am!”

“You’re both annoying!” Starkwulf shouts irritably. “Now would you two _shut up!_ ”

“Focus, guys!” I say, then look at Keegan. “Don’t go up there just yet. Drop me off down by the ships. I’m gonna find Brightwing.”

Keegan dutifully steers the Scorpion toward the shore. I leap off about six feet from the ground, somehow landing on my feet with more grace than is considered usual for me. Must be the adrenaline. Before I can take off toward the ships, though, Keegan grabs my arm to stop me. “Be careful, Astrid,” he says urgently, his eyes pleading.

I smile humorlessly. “I’ll try.” I turn back to the water as he joins the others in the air.

The ships are all splintered, fiery wrecks. The Green Death must be smart enough to know to eliminate its prey’s escape plan. Ignoring the flames licking at the edges of the wood, I sprint onto the largest boat.

“Brightwing!” I call out desperately, my vision blurred by the smoke stinging my eyes, invoking involuntary tears. “Brightwing!”

For a moment, I’m terrified that I’m too late, that Brightwing’s already been burnt to a heap of ashes, beyond saving. Then I hear a frantic squawk coming from the flaming prow of the ship. I hurry toward the source of the sound.

Brightwing is still stuck in her bonds, though by some miracle she is safely away from the fire-- for now. I rush over to her and start foolishly tugging at the shackles.

 _Gods, I’m stupid,_ I realize a minute later. I need a key or something, or I’m going to have to break them somehow. After frantically searching in vain for something to help, I rip the muzzle off Brightwing’s face. “Can you blast them?” I ask. I’m scared she might accidentally graze herself, but it’s better than the alternative option of leaving to find Enger and hoping she doesn’t burn to death while I try to persuade him to free her. She turns her head, but not far enough. After a moment, she stops struggling and gives me a hopeless look.

But I refuse to give up. I start to pull at the chains again, thinking I can maybe force her through the headlock.

The boat shudders. The blackened wood running across the deck groans from the effort of holding the ship together, then gives up and crumbles. The prow-- with me and Brightwing-- collapses into the sea, quenching the flames, but also plunging us into the dark, icy water.

Something like an electric shock surges through me as I hit the water, and my muscles seize up. Still, I clutch Brightwing, unwilling to let her go. After what seems like an eternity, my arms regain their feeling, and I resume struggling with Brightwing’s bonds. But I didn’t get a full breath in before entering the water, and already my lungs scream for air. But I can’t leave Brightwing, but I can’t stay in the water, but I can’t decide.

My vision dims. I’ve taken too long in my choice and now the sea has made my decision for me. My fingers loosen on Brightwing’s chains, and I start to drift.

Strong arms close around my body, and my slow, murky thoughts perceive upward motion. I want to fight, I want to stay with Brightwing, but I just don’t have the strength.

And then the surface of the water breaks, and my limp body flops onto the shore. I splutter and cough, forcing the water from my lungs and replacing it with blessed air. I see the vague outline of a huge dripping figure dive back in.

I struggle to process what has just happened. I was on the ship, I was in the water, I was torn away from Brightwing, I was tossed to the shore, I was saved by… someone. But who?

Certainly not Keegan. The arms I felt were much thicker and more muscled than his, and besides, I can hear him shouting at the Green Death above me. And none of the others, for I see no dragons.

Then who?

My question is answered when the sea explodes. Emerging from the center of the massive tidal wave that has suddenly appeared is a white dragon-- Brightwing!-- with a great, weakened Viking in her talons. She sets him down next to me, and I gasp. “ _Enger?_ ”

The legendary chief coughs and catches his breath next to me. Then he looks at me, humble remorse in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I should have listened to you, Astrid. I was a fool.”

“It’s okay,” I say, surprising myself with how readily I am able to forgive him. “I should have told someone. Now I have to fix this mess.”

Enger nods, and I climb on Brightwing. Before I can take off, though, Enger grabs my arm. “Astrid, wait.”

I turn, and I am shocked to see tears-- real, full tears-- in the fearless chief’s eyes. His breaths are quick and uneven, a result of his being in the water. “I’m proud,” he pants, “to call you a Skaldian.”

His words touch me, and I smile. “Thanks, Enger.”

I turn and use my foot to nudge Brightwing in the side, and she takes off to join the others in the sky.

Things haven’t gone well, it seems. Mollusk sits flailing under the Norkon’s thick body, and Dorfang, Fordang, and Keegan struggle to stay mounted on their dragons, which have grown dizzy from the noise that was meant to distract the enemy. Starkwulf, meanwhile, has fallen off the Flaming Drakon onto the Green Death’s massive head and seems to be the only one doing well for himself, smacking the huge dragon’s enormous eyes with a large hammer, until the beast roars and he drops the hammer before tumbling off the monster and careening toward the ground.

“Brightwing,” I say softly. She understands, swooping forward to catch Starkwulf before he hits the ground.

“Astrid!” Keegan calls to me, visibly relieved. “Got any ideas?”

Good question. I rack my brain, searching my extremely foggy memory for any clues that might help us beat this thing. But it’s hard, every little thought that occurs causing a mountain of pain to erupt in my skull. Still, I push on. I cry out as the pain multiplies, almost to the point that I fall off Brightwing’s back. “Astrid?” Keegan says, his relief quickly turning to worry.

I bite my lower lip and ignore him, straining to hear the voices of my memories through the roaring of blood in my ears. All of these buried images contain the same person. A man, tall and handsome, with a scruffy beard and wind-tossed hair the same color as my own. He smiles at me, and through the agony, I feel a strong sense of safety, of security. This man is kind, loving. I trust him. I _know_ him.

The pain is more excruciating than ever as I struggle to catch what the man is saying to me. I only can make out little snippets of it: _“...not so fireproof on the inside… see if it can use its wings… fire and heat from every side…”_

“I’ve got it!” I shout, shattering the image of the man in my memory into a million pieces. A weight of grief and despair presses down on my chest as his warm smile vanishes, but I force myself to continue. My friends need me. I look at Keegan. “I know what we have to do.”

I tell him my plan, and he nods. Both of us soar up to meet the others, all back on their dragons and trying to hold the Green Death’s attention.

“Get it to look up!” I call to them. “Get its wings out, too! Let’s see if this guy can fly!”

I steer Brightwing upward and hover above the Green Death. With a sound like thunder, Brightwing blasts the beast’s back. With a furious roar, it unfurls its wings. As it spreads them out to their full length, I can see that they span about five to six hundred feet.

“Gods, that thing is huge,” I mutter under my breath, gaping at the colossal beast for a moment, awestruck by its magnificent fear factor. Then I pat Brightwing’s neck gently. “C’mon, girl,” I say. “Let’s see what this thing can do.”

Brightwing snorts in agreement and screeches deafeningly. The Green Death locks all six of its eyes on us and snarls. Its gigantic wings slowly move up, then down, and the enormous creature rises off the ground, creating a small whirlwind with each beat of its titanic wings.

“Go, Brightwing, go!” I urge, and Brightwing soars upward. Higher and higher we fly, into the smoke above the mountain, until Enger and Unferth and Keegan and everyone else have all been obscured by the thick smog.

“Okay, let’s see some fire,” I mumble, scanning the smoke blindly for some kind of light. Instead, I get a gigantic shadow, startlingly close to me and Brightwing. She staggers back quickly, surprised, and I feel the same way, but with both of us right there next to each other we both quickly regain ourselves.

“Okay, Brightwing, now!” I order.

Brightwing nails the Green Death with a plasma blast, then hides in the thickness of the smoke before shooting another when the coast is clear. The monster swings its gargantuan head around, trying in vain to spot us, but can’t catch more than a fleeting glimpse before Brightwing blasts it and is obscured by the fog once more. The beast screams in outrage and begins shooting fire wildly. Brightwing pulls some fancy flying to avoid it.

“Good girl, Brightwing!” I say, giving her a quick pat on the head. “C’mon, let’s do it again!”

Brightwing complies, shooting out of the smoke to blast the huge monster repeatedly from different angles. Each time, the beast spews flame at us, which we just barely miss every time.

But then I don’t urge Brightwing on quick enough. I hear a hiss from behind me and catch the slightest whiff of burning leather. Twisting around, I see that Brightwing has just barely been grazed by the flames. The loose strap of the saddle has caught fire, and the heat of the fire has bent the metal bar of Brightwing’s tail brace.

“We’re out of time,” I mutter. The clock has run down, leaving us with no extra stall time. It’s now or never.

“Okay, Brightwing,” I say, praying to every god I know of that she’ll be able to last. “Dive!”

Brightwing obeys, tucking her wings in close to her body so the air whooshes past us effortlessly as we plummet toward the ground. As I hoped, the Green Death is close behind in hot pursuit.

“Wait for it,” I mutter, watching the Green Death over my shoulder as it opens its mouth, preparing to incinerate us into ashes. “Wait for it…”

Finally, I spot what I’m looking for. “Now, Brightwing!” I shout, spotting the flammable green gas in the back of its throat.

In an effortless maneuver, Brightwing twists around so her back is to the ground, flinging her wings out as air resistance. The noise makes my ears pop, but even more deafening is the sound of the blast from Brightwing’s mouth into the Green Death’s.

My plan works. Brightwing’s blast lights the Green Death’s fire before it is ready to release it. The flames start in its throat, spilling out of its mouth like drool from a Norkon on dragon nip. Then I notice its softer underbelly begin to glow with the fire Brightwing has started there. I stop Brightwing in the air, letting the monstrosity of a dragon fall past us. As it hits the ground, it explodes, fire reaching up and around in an enormous radius, like the top of a mushroom.

Due to the size of the Green Death’s body, it takes some time for the fire to get to the point Brightwing and I are at. Still, it is pretty quick, and Brightwing and I only have just enough time to race up the burning flesh, Brightwing’s tail just inches from the raging inferno as we weave in and out of the enormous dragon’s maze of spines.

“Come on, Brightwing,” I gasp frantically. “Come on, we’re almost there--”

And then the beast’s spiked tail appears, swinging toward us like a gigantic mace. I know we can’t avoid it, it’s moving too fast. Brightwing tries anyway, turning her body away, but I know it will never work.

“Bri--” I start, then cry out as the tail hits me, throwing me from Brightwing’s back.

Time seems to slow down after that.

My head throbs as I fall toward the huge clouds of fire below, and not just from the physical blow. My mind is flooded with dim, blurry images, I can’t tell which are real and which were imagined a lifetime ago. A boy falling, chased by a black dragon; a metal leg, surrounded by an aura of awe and distaste; a large, red-haired man, crying over the lifeless body of a small boy.

Brightwing is the last thing I see before I close my eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've mentioned this before, but it is REALLY HARD to convert scenes from movies into book format. It's especially limiting when the book is told from the first-person perspective. When a book is written in first person, the only things the reader sees are the things the narrator sees. Unfortunately, this means I couldn't include some of my favorite scenes from the movie where Astrid would not be present. The main scene I wish I could have added would have to be just before the dragon riders showed up. In the movie, there's a really sweet moment when Stoick says he can buy the others some time by distracting the Green Death, and Gobber replies, "Then I can double that time." The theme of Stoick and Gobber's unquenchable friendship is amplified so much in this scene, and I wish I could have included a similar scene between Enger and Unferth. Stoick and Gobber are my ultimate BroTP in ANY fandom.  
> In other news, Astrid's memory is returning! It was kind of heartbreaking to write the parts in this chapter where she starts to remember because I had to imagine having this experience myself, having so many answers come right to you, but linger just out of reach. It especially hurt to have her remember her father. Zephyr takes after Hiccup in almost every aspect of her personality. She is quiet and humble, preferring to keep to herself, except when she feels lonely. She writes and draws a lot, just like Hiccup, and bonds better with dragons than people. Zephyr was a daddy's girl in every way. She and her father had a very strong bond, and having Astrid remember that bond for just a fleeting moment before it flew away may actually have killed a small part of my soul.  
> I can't think of anything else to add for notes right now, but if there are any holes I've left unfilled (which I probably have), don't hesitate to ask in the comments. Hope you enjoyed! Next time, we will be posting the last chapter of this book! Have fun and stay safe!


	21. Coming Back Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astrid wakes up after fighting the Green Death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dragon fam! We've finally made it to the end of this book! Please enjoy this last installment of Dragon Girl!

[ _Mood Music: A Close Friend_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIYy5by8jdc)

_I see the tall spires, covered with dragons of all shapes and sizes and colors. I see them bow to the black dragon, with his white mate and fledglings the black and white of the night sky and stars._

_I hear_ his _voice, the man I saw, though try as I might I can’t find his face. Just from his voice, though, I know he is smiling._

_“I’ll meet you here, Zeph,” he says to me. “Here, with the dragons._

_“I’m waiting for you._

_“I love you.”_

* * *

[ _Mood Music: Where's Hiccup?_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHo1jyVztdg)

My eyes open to the familiar sensation of a wet muzzle against my cheek. Unlike last time, however, it is gentler, less urgent, and my head does not ache as much.

“Hey, Brightwing,” I whisper, reaching up feebly to stroke her spines. She moans excitedly and jumps over and around me.

“ _Someone’s_ excited to see me,” I say amused. I sit up a little, laughing quietly as she finally comes to rest. Then I notice where I am.

“I’m… in my house,” I say, looking around at the familiar wood carvings before my eyes land back at Brightwing… sitting on my bed. “ _You’re_ in my house!”

Brightwing almost seems to grin as she gets up and bounds around my room.

“Does Unferth know you’re here?” I say, watching anxiously as my dragon hops around energetically. Brightwing, of course, does not reply.

“Brightwing!” I say desperately as she perches in the rafters, her swinging tail knocking over bookshelves and other things just lying around in the hut. “Oh, gods…”

I lean forward to get out of bed and control my dragon, but stop as I feel something on the end of my left foot. I slowly peek under the blankets and stare.

Brightwing seems to notice the revelation I’m having and hops nimbly down from the rafters, watching me quietly. She mewls softly, and I glance at her, my stomach twisting. Then I pull the blankets off my legs.

My right foot lands with little noise on the wooden planks. But there is a muted _clunk_ as the three metal toes on the end of my left foot hit the floor.

I take deep breaths as my head starts to spin. This is so familiar, but I can’t remember why…

Brightwing, sensing my uneasiness, approaches me and lays her head on my knee comfortingly. I look at her and purse my lips anxiously.

But I have to go out. I have to see what damage I have caused, how many people were lost to the Green Death.

I stand unsteadily on my right leg, the metal digits on my other foot feeling foreign, uncomfortable, _wrong_. I glance at Brightwing, then, mustering my courage, step forward and shift my weight to my left leg.

My head throbs in the same instant that the stubs on the end of my foot protest to the unnatural additions to my body. My knees buckle, and I collapse on Brightwing, who moves to catch me before I can hit the ground.

The pain disappears as quickly as it comes. My head stops hurting, and I whisper, “Thanks, Brightwing.”

I know it will probably be a while before I get used to walking by myself again, so I put my weight on Brightwing, who generously lets me use her as a crutch as we make our way to the entrance to the hut. Leaning on my right leg, I open the door.

The sight of a shrieking Flaming Drakon makes me yelp and slam the door shut. “Brightwing,” I say, my heart racing, “stay here.”

[ _Mood Music: Coming Back Around_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5GE5UvF9ZI)

But when I open the door again, I notice Starkwulf on the back of the dragon as he calls to someone I can’t see, “She’s up, get ready!” Then he winks at me and swoops out of sight.

I gasp. What I see is Skaldi, but unlike I’ve ever seen it before. Dragons of every kind perch on rooftops, squawking happily as villagers laugh and throw them fish instead of hammers and axes. People scratch Spiny Scorpions under the chin and rub dragon nip on the Norkons’ noses. I even see Hagel, the village healer, surrounded by a cheerful flock of Fanged Frights.

I can’t say anything for a moment. I’m too shocked by the contrast of what I know and what I see. Then I force out, “I knew it. I’m dead.”

I hear a gruff chuckle and turn to see Enger. “No,” he says, clapping an enormous hand on my shoulder, “but you gave it your best shot. Hey, everyone!” he calls suddenly. “Look who’s finally decided to rejoin the land of the living!”

“It’s Astrid! Astrid!” people exclaim, gathering around me in a thick crowd, congratulating me and thanking me.

I’m too stunned to speak. Just a month ago, no one would have given me a second glance. Now they all cheer for me, not for being a dragon killer, but just the opposite.

Enger waves his hand at me. “Turns out all we needed was a little more of… _this_.”

“You just gestured to all of me,” I say with awed, happy surprise.

Enger nods happily. Then Unferth pushes his way through the crowd to me. “Well, _most_ of you,” he says. He points at the metal stubs on the end of my left foot. “That bit’s my handiwork. With a little ‘Astrid’ twist thrown in.” He grins, and I’m sure the pride in his eyes isn’t just for himself. “Think it’ll do?”

I glance at the prosthetic digits and cock my head thoughtfully. “I might make a few tweaks.”

I think I spot a tear in the corner of his eye, but before I can make sure, he wraps his arms around me in a strong bear hug. “I’m so proud of you, lass,” he whispers in my ear.

I squeeze him tightly. As I pull away a minute later, someone punches my shoulder from behind. “ _That’s_ for almost killing yourself,” Keegan says.

I roll my eyes. “Oh, _come on_ , is it _always_ going to be like this--?”

I’m interrupted by Keegan taking my arm with one hand and lifting my chin with the other to press his lips to mine.

It’s like I’ve fallen into that freezing water at the nest again. For a moment, I’m too shocked and paralyzed with delight to do anything other than just stand there, stupid and silent, as Keegan kisses me. Then, after he pulls away, I mutter, “I could get used to it.”

I’m not sure if I imagine the trace of a blush on his face, but I know that smile is real.

I’m broken away from Keegan’s gaze by the cry of “White Creeper!” from the back of the crowd. People shout, but it’s more in surprise than fear.

I whirl around. Brightwing has left the confines of the hut and is squirming over the crowd, hopping on top of villagers’ heads and shoulders in order to get to me sooner. She moans happily and gives me that funny toothless grin of hers. I laugh at her, then notice the exact shape of my metal toes. Unferth has designed them to fit neatly into Brightwing’s tail controls.

I grin at Keegan. “Want to go for a ride?”

* * *

Somewhere to the north, there is a place called Skaldi. It snows all year except for when it hails. For those who survive the weather, the cause of death is commonly either starvation or a particularly nasty food fight. The only benefits are the pets.

I know my adventure is far from over. I still have so much to learn about my past, about who I am. Now that I know Brightwing never meant to kill me in the beginning, I know my family is out there. Brightwing is the key to finding them. She is the missing piece to help me figure out my past.

I know the journey will be long and hard. I know I will face trials none have ever faced before.

But I also know I’m not alone. I have a map. I have my friends.

And we have dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end of Dragon Girl! I felt like I had to add a little injury for Astrid just for that little throwback so she might have another similarity to share with her dad when-- er, IF she finds him again. (Darn it, spoilers!)  
> Thank you so much to all of you who have stuck with me throughout the series so far! The next book will not be posted for quite some time because I need to get a good ways through the draft before I start posting. However, you can always check out some of my other stuff. I try to post daily on different works, so you'll always have something new! Thank you so much for reading Dragon Girl, and keep on the lookout for the final book in this series, HTTYD: Finding the Past! Have fun and stay safe!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if it seems like I'm just transcribing the movie at some parts, but that's kind of the point. There will be differences, and I am excited for the next book, where... you'll have to find out, MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! But don't worry, she won't be reliving the other two movies.


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